Chess
Short games used as a mental reset between blocks of demanding work
A board game that demands total attention for as long as it lasts, which is exactly why some people reach for it as a break. Fifteen minutes of chess forces the mind off the problem it was chewing on and gives it something else to hold, and people who use it this way describe coming back to work feeling fresh. It costs nothing beyond a board or a free app, and a quick game fits into the gap between two meetings.
Who backs it
Sorted by strength of stance
- Arnold SchwarzeneggerDoes it
Bodybuilding champion, actor, former governor · Arnold's Pump Club
Concentrated work runs out after 45 minutes to an hour. Then fifteen minutes of chess. He comes back with all the energy in the world, he says, and counts it as one of his forms of meditation.
Source: The Tim Ferriss Show #60 transcript: Arnold Schwarzenegger
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Habit entry · notes paraphrased from cited sources, quoted excerpts copied from the transcript they link to. Not medical advice. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or reviewed by anyone listed. How this works.