It turns out the typical eight-hour work day may not be so good for us after all.

Draugiem Group, a social networking company, studied work habits of employees to measure time spent on various tasks versus actual productivity levels. The study showed people who took more short breaks tended to be more productive than those who worked for longer periods of time.

Based on the findings, researchers say it’s best to work for 52 minutes on and 17 minutes off. According to Travis Bradberry, author of Emotional Intelligence 2.0, the brain functions at its best for roughly an hour at a time before feeling weary for about 15 to 20 minutes.

Breaking up the eight-hour cycle can include doing a short lap around the office, chatting with a coworker or even eating a snack while standing, but the important thing is to physically separate yourself from the task at hand (answering emails and checking social media does not count, either, because your mind is still being distracted).

So, the next time your boss catches you away from your desk, let them know you’re just trying to recharge … and will be back in 17 minutes.

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