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Make Downtime Part of Your Routine

A college student rests under a tree in the community park.

Center for BrainHealth

How can 2+5+7 equal more brain energy?

Make downtime a priority for your brain. 2+5+7 is like 10,000 daily steps – but for your brain performance.

SCIENCE SAYS:

You need real mental breaks to stay focused and productive. When you are working, you need to be strategic about how you spend your mental energy. Disengaging for a few minutes throughout the day helps downregulate stress and recharge mental energy, allowing a boost in inspired, innovative thinking.

EACH DAY:

  • 2 – Identify 2 priority tasks requiring deeper-level thinking. Spend up to 45 minutes working on these.
  • 5 – Take 5 five-minute breaks. Unplug and disengage from focused thought and clear out your head space.
  • 7 – Engage in innovative thinking 7 times. Seek new inspiration, or just have fun rethinking something that you may have taken for granted. Seek out a new perspective, new questions and new possibilities.
  • Did you do 2+5+7? Debrief to build momentum. You can always remind yourself to take breaks using a timer or time management app.

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