I know. Sounds like a stupid made-up rule, right? Dirty trade secret: yes indeedy, sometimes I do make up stupid things and post them. But not this time. The 52/17 Rule is a bonafide concept that did not come from the back corner of my grey matter. It came from 99U, so you know it's the real deal. And no, I didn't make up that number either.

The premise of 52/17 is that humans weren't made to sit for eight hours a day working. Not only is this tough on the body, it takes its toll on productivity as well. Research shows that standing up and taking a frequent break improves productivity.

According to some research done by Julia Gifford and DeskTime, there was a clear pattern exhibited by the most productive employees. You know where I'm headed with this, right? You got it. The superstar workers put their nose to the grindstone for fifty-two minutes at a stretch, then took a seventeen minute break before getting back to it again.

Think if it in terms of sprinting. Those fifty-two minutes were spent in intense concentration, like a burst of running. That was rewarded by a break for seventeen. And no, rest does not mean trolling around on Facebook or getting sucked into email. It means give your brain a rest from the computer. Have a cup of tea. Take a stroll. Read a book.

Even if you don't have a full eight hours to devote to this little experiment, give it a whirl with the chunks of time you do have. At the very least, your eyeballs will thank you. Staring at a screen for hours on end is just a bad idea all around.