If you ask most students what revising looks like, they’ll probably describe something intense, sitting at a desk for hours, highlighting notes, watching the clock and hoping the information magically sticks. But one of the most effective learning tools is something far simpler and surprisingly undervalued, the thinking break.

Not a scrolling, TikTok break, not a snack break, not a “let me clean my entire room to avoid studying” break, a genuine thinking break.

A thinking break is a short pause usually just one or two minutes where a student steps away from the pressure of the task and lets their brain breath. Although it sounds insignificant, tutors see every day how these little pauses can completely change a student’s confidence and clarity.

Learning becomes harder when the brain is overloaded. Student’s often hit a wall not because the topic is impossible, but because their working memory is exhausted. A quick pause resets the system. It gives space for information to settle, confusion to calm and ideas to become clearer. In fact, some of the best answers students give in tutoring sessions appear after a brief silence where they’re simply thinking.

This is especially true for anxious learners. Sometimes a student doesn’t need another explanation, they just need a moment to process the one they’ve already heard. Thinking breaks can turn frustration into progress, panic into understanding and “I can’t do this” into “Wait… actually I can”.

What’s even better is that thinking breaks teach students something crucial, learning doesn’t have to be rushed. They realise it’s okay to pause, to reflect and to take things step by step and once they adopt this habit, revision becomes far more productive and far less overwhelming.

In tutoring, the quiet moment often matters as much as the active ones. A small pause can unlock a big improvement.

Sometimes, the smartest thing a student can do is simply stop and think.

Isabella Naumovski