Nov 21, 2016 09:42 AM EST By Chris Brandt, UniversityHerald Reporter

Almost all people know the importance of taking a break to increase productivity. But experts provided a reason why working or even studying more than 90 minutes decreases your productivity even more. That is because it is connected to what scientists call as our basic rest-activity cycle.

The Basic Rest Activity Cycle is most commonly associated with our sleep cycle where each phase - wakefulness, REM, and then back again - happens every 90 minutes. In the same way, research has found out that it applies to our waking moments as well.

In a study conducted by K. Anders Ericsson and colleagues from the Florida state University, those who were considered elite performers in various fields were productive because they follow this routine. They have 90 minutes of uninterrupted practice intervals with breaks in-between sessions are more productive than those who don't. Moreover, these people rarely work four and a half hours every day.

Ericsson added that if people really want to maximize their gains in the long run, they should avoid exhaustion and limit the number of their work hours giving themselves time to recover on a daily or weekly basis.

Focusing on how to limit your fatigue to a level where you can fully recover every day, you will be able to maximize your productivity and time. Ericsson recommended that in order to do that, you should chunk your work or study activities into 90-minute intervals. Through this, Ericsson noted, people might even be able to achieve that four-and-a-half hour workday.

Despite the study, the efficacy of this method needs to be explored more. The research needs to be peer reviewed and tested first. However, there are already some interesting ideas that can be found there. There are some productivity techniques that are similar to this idea, like the Pomodoro technique, which breaks down big tasks into manageable pieces within a period of time.

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