Lifehacker: Staring at a pair of monitors for 10+ hours a day can get rather taxing. That's why I pepper in small breaks throughout the day, like most people. When I need five minutes to untangle my brain I reach for my pile of art pens and the closest post it note (the back of a print out will also suffice).
Compared to the things I used to do on breaks, like surfing the web or secretly playing a iOS game, sketching has a defined end point.
8 comments:
This is actually a really interesting idea that I honestly would have never thought of, probably in part because I'm not the greatest with the pen in my hand in terms of drawing. Doing something like doodling or drawing instead of staying on the computer to take a break is great because it is something that can take all of your attention, and is something completely different from the work that you would be doing on the computer. It's great because it also takes you away from the computer which can harbor other distractions, but also it takes you farther from your work in a sense, so that you don't have it in the background, guilting you in to coming back sooner. And it's so much simple because you just need to have a pen and a piece of paper hanging around and I would be surprised to find anyone around this school who didn't have at least that on them. I honestly want to give this a shot, if only cause it sounds fun, and would be a better use of my time then just screwing around on the internet.
I feel like it is common belief that you should take breaks from sitting in front of a computer screen all day, yet almost no one does it. I like this article because it actually makes a very good argument for why you should take breaks to draw, rather than just spending breaks from working surfing the web. The author points out that sketching makes a very good break from work because it has a definitive beginning and end: while you are drawing you are thinking of little else, and once you are done and have put the pen down, you are not too tempted to pick it back up again. I am definitely going to try to do this in the future.
This is a brilliant idea. I spend so much of my time on the computer, both for work and for play. Taking breaks on the computer usually completely distracts me from my work. I can spend hours and hours on Facebook and Tumblr. The worst part is that I'm usually bored while I'm wasting time. Doodling makes me happy, and I guess that spending ten minutes drawing robots and squid can't hurt my drawing/design skills. I'm going to genuinely try to use this tactic when I'm taking breaks. (Which, in all honesty, is probably going to go into effect tonight.)
The only thing I disagree with here is that doodling has an endpoint. There's always more paper.
Well yeah, this is great in theory. But we're never going to replace internet breaks with sketching, not permanently, at least. I agree that doodling is probably less of a time zap than plugging into the computer. However, when I'm on a break, especially when we're breaking from something that usually is using some creative part of the break, I'm not trying to draw. I'm trying to turn off my brain entirely. And at least for me, drawing is something that turns on my brain. The author says that "once I'm done doodling, I'm not thinking about it at all." This is definitely false in my experience. It may not be as mind-encompassing as perusing the internet, but it still holds a part of my brain once I'm done, which, arguably, facebook does not. I'm not sure how useful this article actually would end up being.
What a great idea! I particularly like that this is something that has nothing to do with technology; I never thought about it, but taking a break from a task on my own computer is probably not as a good of a break for my brain as something such as doodling. This is also a great suggestion for people working on their art skills, because a little bit of drawing a day would be both great for practice and also for clearing their head. What a great article!
This is such a great idea. Doodling, instead of surfing the internet, allows someone to completely separate their mind from their work. Not only is this a great way to separate yourself from your work but it is such a great stress reliever. Who cares how good a doodle looks? It provokes thought to whoever is drawing it, and can just be a nice break from staring at a screen all day. I'm going to try this.
I have trouble really taking in my work at times when i am working on the computer. there are many times where i am just too burned and i have to step away and work by hand on paper, it is easier to materialize that way. this however doesn't always work being that many people don't even have time for breaks with the world moving faster and faster these days. we are just running to catch up. for me a little bit of sketching time willl always prevail.
I think that this is a wonderful idea on how to take a small break and be happy with is when it’s over. I know that I personally feel guilty after taking a break where I surfed the internet. Doodling is a nice way to relax and regain yourself during the day. Although I never would have thought of this on my own I will defiantly try to start doing this on a regular basis
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