Mentis- Two minutes between meetings: stand up, step out, two sighs, look far.
- Micro-breaks of 10 minutes or less improved energy and reduced fatigue in a 2022 meta-analysis.
- It helps clear "attention residue" from the last meeting before the next one.
- In Mentis: "Step Out Between Meetings" and "Two Minutes Between Meetings", from the Work stress plan.
How do you do it?
- Stand up as soon as the meeting ends. Don't open the next tab yet.
- Step out. A window, the balcony, a stairwell, the office gate. Outdoors is best.
- Two sighs. Two inhales through the nose, one long exhale. See two sighs.
- Look at something far away for a few breaths: a building, a tree, the sky.
- One line before going back: "Next: the client call, I need X from it."
Why do two minutes matter?
When you jump from one task to the next, part of your attention stays stuck on the first one. Organisational psychologist Sophie Leroy called this attention residue, and showed it hurts performance on the next task (Leroy, 2009). A tense meeting leaves extra residue, which is why one bad call can colour the rest of the day.
A short break helps clear it. A 2022 meta-analysis of micro-break studies found that breaks of ten minutes or less improved vigour and reduced fatigue (Albulescu et al., 2022). Getting outside adds something more: in a Stanford study, a walk in a natural setting reduced rumination compared with a walk along a busy road (Bratman et al., 2015). Even a glimpse of green helps.
When should you use it?
- Between back-to-back meetings or calls.
- After a tense conversation, before you reply to anything.
- At the afternoon slump, instead of the fourth chai ("Afternoon Daylight, Not The Fourth Chai").
Where is it in the Mentis app?
"Step Out Between Meetings" is an outdoor activity in the Work stress plan. "Two Minutes Between Meetings" is part of chapter 3, "One thing at a time", and chapter 5, "Steady when it spikes", builds a daily two-minute reset after lunch. Other outdoor steps include "Lunch Away From The Desk, Outside" and "The Walk That Ends The Day". For the end of the day, see shut the laptop properly.
Frequently asked questions
Do micro-breaks actually help?
A meta-analysis of micro-break studies found that short breaks of 10 minutes or less improved vigour and reduced fatigue. Effects on performance depended on the type of task. Even short breaks help most when you actually step away from the screen.
What if I have back-to-back calls?
Take two minutes at the start of a call, camera off, or end calls two minutes early. The Work plan has a step, 'Two Minutes Between Meetings', for exactly this.
Why look at something far away?
Screens keep your eyes focused close for hours. A far point gives your eyes a break, and it's also a simple way to bring attention to the present moment.
- Albulescu P et al. (2022). 'Give me a break!' A systematic review and meta-analysis on the efficacy of micro-breaks for increasing well-being and performance. PLoS ONE 17(8).
- Leroy S (2009). Why is it so hard to do my work? The challenge of attention residue when switching between work tasks. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 109(2).
- Bratman GN et al. (2015). Nature experience reduces rumination and subgenual prefrontal cortex activation. PNAS 112(28).