Killing time online makes you productive by giving brain chance to reset

Wellington – If you have a tendency to kill time while in office by browsing web or signing in the social media accounts, it might actually prove helpful to make you more productive by giving the brain a chance to reset.

Ideally, if one gives 20 percent of their time to be flexible, reset their brain, take a break and surf the web, that other 80 percent is even more productive than it would be otherwise.

According to a 2009 study out of the University of Melbourne, while workers might spend paid minutes watching a Youtube video of a panda sneezing, they more than make up for that time later in the day, stuff.co.nz reports.

Researcher Dr. Brent Coker explained that people need to zone out for a bit to get back their concentration, adding that short and unobtrusive breaks, such as a quick surf of the internet, enables the mind to rest itself, leading to a higher total net concentration for a day’s work, and as a result, increased productivity.

The research found that those who spent less than 20 percent of their time perusing the Internet’s silly offerings were 9 percent more productive than those who resist going online.

However, many businesses see downtime as wasted productivity, that is, they see their employees as machines, and when they’re not actively working, they’re costing them money, the report added.