With increasing work pressures, deadlines and stiff competition in the fast-paced technological age, employees are busy almost every second in the quest to meet their deadlines on time and strike a careful work-life balance. So try working smart to avoid brain drain and productivity burnout.

Increasing workplace demands have resulted in an exhausted workforce, who are compelled to be highly productive 5 days a week, clocking in 8 hours and more every single day.

Employees are burdened with pressures and strict deadlines, that makes them work overtime and take in extra workload beyond their physical capabilities and mental competencies to challenge new benchmarks in their career.

During the process, burnouts are an inevitable consequence and productivity drain is unavoidable. Such ‘insane’ situations lead to unhealthy working environment wherein employees are drained of energies, frustrated and low in morale to deliver optimum performance at all times.

See also: How to Stay Productive on a Business Travel

Such “work hard” workplace culture leads employees to be unable to switch off from work towards the end of the day. Many at times, the current competitive age has placed increasing demand on employees to be unable to take time out with friends and family over weekends. They are constantly connected on the move, checking emails on weekends and they just can’t stop thinking about work.

Instead of working hard as a workplace philosophy and culture, how about employers implementing ‘work smart’ strategies to create an effective workplace culture and sustain consistent productivity levels every single day. Here are some terrific ways to avoid the productivity drain at work:

Take more breaks

When workers want to sustain their peak performance, they must be skilled at managing energy throughout the day. By taking periodic breaks, employees allow their body and mind to renew energies. Based on Ultradian Rhythm study, our brain is able to remain focused for only 90 minutes, and then we need at least 15 minutes rest to be able to focus again better.

By taking breaks every 90 minutes, employees can allow their mind and body to renew energies and be ready to fire off for the next 90 minutes.

Take naps

According to Gawker editor in chief Max Read, “Research indicates that when memory is first recorded in the brain – in the hippocampus, to be specific – it’s still fragile and easily forgotten, especially if the brain is asked to memorize more things. Napping, it seems, pushes memories to the neocortex, the brain’s’ more permanent storage, preventing them from being overwritten.”

Simply by taking naps for few minutes, employees can empower their brains to consolidate information better, understand, memorize data and remember newly fed informative data in the human central processing control system.

It also helps to avoid productivity burnout and brings back the re-energized you, with enhanced ability to focus and stay productive until the end of the day.

Spend time in nature

Simply by taking a walk in the garden or getting some fresh air outside your room will allow your minds to feel completely relaxed. It also helps employees to focus longer when they return back to work.

A research further proves that the motivation to learn is higher, when students are encouraged to go outside, instead of being in a classroom.

Move and work in blocks

To avoid productivity drain, employees can adopt ‘working in blocks’ strategy, which means you can split the workload in stacks and create groups of task lists. When each group of tasks are accomplished, they can go cycling or walking to enable bodily movement.

Simply 30 minutes of movement activity will make employees to feel more fueled, energized and productive for the entire work day.

Work smart is more effective than working hard in some ways. By implementing work smart strategies, employees can be trained to work like humans rather than robots, who do not need any breaks and renewal occasions.

Smart working is the way to go to maintain consistent productivity levels at work and avoid brain drain during the process.

Next read: Should You Stay or Quit? When Your Bosses Expect You to be Robots at Work