Abstract

We live in a fast-paced world and are continuously striving to complete tasks and achieve our goals. As a result, we often neglect taking breaks despite their known benefits to overall performance. Goal progress and break-taking have both been studied independently, yet their interrelation remains unexplored. The current research aims to address this gap by identifying how participants react to taking a break as an interruption to an unfinished task. Namely, I aim to examine the relationship between goal (i.e., task completion) progress and perceived break quality, and more specifically identify 1) whether greater progress toward a goal leads to higher perceived break quality, 2) whether the use of external validation (such as nudges) enhances perceived break quality, 3) whether trait hedonic capacity further enhances the break experience, 4) whether feelings of deservingness mediate these effects, and 5) whether higher perceived break quality leads to increased motivation to resume working on the goal-related task after the break. Three online experiments were conducted to test these hypotheses. While the results across the three studies were not entirely consistent, several trends emerged. The data suggests a potential relationship between goal progress and perceived break quality. Some evidence supports the moderating role of trait hedonic capacity and the mediating role of deservingness. There was also some support for the proposition that higher quality breaks lead to greater motivation to resume goal-related tasks after the break. Despite not yielding all the expected results, this research lays a groundwork for future studies in this area.