You’ve heard of inte
rval training for your body? Now comes interval work periods for your day job, which, according to this piece in International Herald Tribune, will maximize your productivity. That claim is based on research conducted at Florida State University, were scientists studied elite performers, including musicians, athletes, actors and chess players. The Trib reports that in each of these fields, the best performers typically practice in uninterrupted sessions that last no more than 90 minutes. Wait, there’s more. The Trib reports that a 2006 Ernst & Young study of its employees found that for each additional 10 hours of vacation employees took, their year-end performance ratings from supervisors (on a scale of one to five) improved by 8 percent. And more: when night shift air traffic controllers were given 40 minutes to nap  and slept an average of 19 minutes  they performed much better on tests that measured vigilance and reaction time, and in a another experiment, researchers at the University of California, Riverside, found that a 60- to 90-minute nap improved memory test results as fully as did eight hours of sleep. Much to do, time for a break. Read more in the International Herald Tribune.