The formula recommended by experts is twofold. First, take a brief mental break every twenty minutes: just a momentary deactivation from your singular focus.

The funny thing is, sitting alone thinking doesn’t “look” like work. Even more so if it’s away from your computer. However, my own process for brainstorming and ideating often looks like this:

1. Load my brain with all the context of a problem.


2. Step away from the computer and go live — do the dishes, go for a run, vacuum the carpet.


3. Once potential soluti

the reality is that most of us just don’t have the flexibility in our lives to be able to walk away from our work for a full year. Thankfully, we can all take practical sabbaticals—daily, weekly, or monthly breaks where we walk away from our work completely. Writer Gina Trapani has pointed out three prime spots to turn off our brains and take a bre