You're probably reading this in between work, and flipping in between Facebook, and other channels, while taking a break from your work documents. It sounds like slacking off work a little, but the great news is that if you do this in moderation, it actually makes you more productive by giving your brain a chance to reset. Here's why:

The essential rule is that if you give yourself 20% of your time to be flexible, reset your brain, take a break, and surf the net, the other 80% becomes more productive than it would be otherwise. You're making up for your slacking because you feel re-energized instead of feeling heavy under the weight of your work.

A 2011 piece from The Atlantic explains:

Essentially, the rule is that if you give yourself 20% of your time to be flexible, reset your brain, take a break, and surf the web, that other 80% is even more productive than it would be otherwise. Essentially, you make up for your slacking because you feel re-energized instead of heavy under the weight of your work. This 2011 piece from The Atlantic explains:

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, or what have you, they more than make up for that time later in the day. "People need to zone out for a bit to get back their concentration," researcher Dr. Brent Coker told Ars Technica's Jacqui Cheng. "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.

Not only does a brain reset help you get through the day, but resisting the urge to go online negatively impacts your work, according a Harvard Business School study. The researchers suggested that energy spent resisting the Internet's allure takes attention away from other tasks.

But it isn't great for many businesses that see downtime as wasted productivity, mostly due to lost profits from internet abuse. Still, researchers highlight the importance of keeping that 20% number and that most people are disciplined enough to moderate their own time and that they can be trusted.


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