Take a break — or How Tea Breaks made Britain Great — E|F Shorts

I remember stories that my grandad used to tell about his time at work. I also remember watching old British Sitcoms set in a different era. One thing I remember from both was the importance of the tea break for working life. There wasn’t a small staff kitchenette where people could make their own drinks if they wanted to. No, there was a tea trolley that came round and everyone would pause, even for a couple of minutes to get their tea before going back to work.

Britain was once regarded as an international super power. Now look at it. Now, I do not have any scientific evidence for this somewhat ridiculous claim, but once upon a time, tea breaks were a key part of working life and Britain was a great nation. As the importance of tea breaks declined, soon after the stature of this once Great Nation followed suit.

Much research has been done on this. A quick survey reveals studies that suggest the average adult can focus for around 40–45 minutes before concentration slips. Another suggests that environmental factors and our mental energy at the start of this focus period can increase that to near 2 hours. Other suggest we can only expect to operate at our peak mental faculties for 15–20 minutes before we experience a significant drop in our function.

The exact numbers are not necessary as we can all agree on the point that direct us to. We cannot maintain a high level of focus indefinitely. As I have reflected on the working pattern of many that I see…