Here’s yet another piece, this one from BBC, with some compelling arguments and evidence that taking regular breaks (in between short bursts of focused work) is actually the key to productivity. “Why You Should Manage your Energy, Not your Time” also includes this snippet from study skills and productivity author Cal Newport:
“In order to make the most of our focus and energy, we also need to embrace downtime, or as Newport suggests, ‘be lazy.’ ‘Idleness is not just a vacation, an indulgence or a vice; it is as indispensable to the brain as vitamin D is to the body… [idleness] is, paradoxically, necessary to getting any work done,’ he argues.”
The story is directed towards working professionals, but the argument sticks for students, too. Workaholics actually get less done. Put another way, laziness done right is actually the key to productivity.