Jim Kwik - How to Take a Brain Break | Jim Kwik

Short Summary

Main recommendation: take a five-minute brain break every 25 to 30 minutes, using it to breathe deeply, hydrate, and move your body, rather than working or studying nonstop. Jim Kwik ties this to the Pomodoro Technique, which uses regular interval breaks to counter the drop in focus that comes after about 25 to 30 minutes. He also suggests juggling and cross-lateral movements as engaging break activities.

Key Points

• Attention dips after roughly 25 to 30 minutes, so regular interval breaks help the brain recharge; this is the rationale for the Pomodoro Technique.
• Breaks improve memory through primacy and recency: people tend to remember items at the beginning and end of a list, and breaks create more of these "edges" so more is retained overall.
• Oxygen and nutrients matter: the brain is about 2 percent of body mass but uses about 20 percent of the body's nutrients and oxygen, so deep breathing helps clear mental fog.
• Hydration boosts thinking: according to Kwik, being properly hydrated can increase reaction time and thinking speed by about 30 percent.
• Movement supports the brain: Kwik says sitting is the new smoking and that "as your body moves, your brain grooves," citing brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) as a benefit of physical activity.
• Juggling is recommended for brain health, with Kwik citing a study done at Oxford University suggesting juggling creates more white matter, and he says it helped train his peripheral vision for reading.

Details Worth Noting

• Concrete instructions: After 25 minutes of work or study, take a 5-minute break and do three things, in no particular order:
  1. Breathe deeply to bring in more oxygen.
  2. Drink water to hydrate.
  3. Stand up and move your body.
• Concrete instructions (juggling): Start with one ball, two balls if you have experience, three if skilled, or a rolled-up sock, which doesn't roll away when dropped. Begin by tossing one object back and forth between hands. When adding a second object, do not throw both at once and do not just pass them hand to hand. Throw the first object up toward a peak, and only throw the second when the first reaches its peak. Keep your eyes relaxed and take in the objects with peripheral vision. Accept drops as part of learning.
• Concrete instructions (cross-laterals): Touch one hand to the opposite knee, then switch sides, going back and forth across the body's midline. You can use an elbow instead of a hand, and you don't need to touch if flexibility is limited.
• Concrete instructions (Super Brain Yoga): Massage your opposite earlobe with one hand, then the other earlobe with the other hand, while squatting down and standing back up. Kwik says to look it up for full details.
• Movement suggestions: jumping jacks, burpees, calisthenics, push-ups, sit-ups, walking meetings or walks, an elliptical or treadmill while listening to audiobooks or podcasts, and ballroom dancing or table tennis.
• Kwik's stated caveat: the cross-lateral brain connection is suggested by some research through the corpus callosum, but he notes that even without that benefit, moving with conscious effort is worthwhile.
• Assignment: share your own brain break activities in the comments.

Bottom Line

Short, regular breaks that combine breathing, hydration, and physical movement, such as juggling or cross-lateral exercises, can help sustain focus and aid learning during long periods of screen time or study.