“Go Touch Grass” has become a popular way to dismiss someone in an online disagreement, with the implication that one party to the argument is too invested in online debates and is starting to lose touch with reality. But while this phrase is typically flung at people as an insult, the actual advice to go outside and experience a bit of the outdoors isn’t bad advice to take. 

In the 1980s, environmental psychologists Rachel and Stephen Kaplan developed what they called Attention Restoration Theory, which puts forth the idea that mental fatigue can be relieved through what they called “effortless attention” and fascination in one’s environment, which are frequently achieved by exposure to natural environments. Where many of the tasks we need to accomplish in our home and work lives require directed, effortful focus, gazing upon a landscape is just interesting enough to hold attention while not requiring effort. This allows for the restoration of depleted focus. In that way, one can “go touch grass” or expose themselves to a bit of nature in order to recharge their mental batteries. 

What if you don’t have the opportunity to head outdoors? A similar effect can be achieved through switching from one task to another which uses a different subset of your skills or a different part of your brain. For example, pausing a task which requires creativity and switching to one which exercises calculational skills can give you an overall boost in productivity in the original task when you return to it. A quick, mindless task also works well in this situation. As we’ve noted in previous blogs, this is a great way to turn those minor to-do list items into productivity boosters instead of opportunities to procrastinate. 

Taking a break might seem like obvious advice, but it pays to do so in a more mindful way. Your environment matters. Done right, even small periods of relaxation and recreation can be hugely restorative and help you make the most of every moment.