Pausen

Pausen (plural of Pause) describes intervals during which ongoing activity is interrupted to rest, think, recharge, or prepare for the next task. The concept appears across work, education, travel, media consumption, and daily routines. While the specific form and duration vary by context and jurisdiction, the underlying goal is to prevent fatigue, maintain safety, and support attention and performance.

In work life, pauses are often regulated by labor law or company policy. They can be short microbreaks, typically a few minutes, or longer meals and rest periods. Regular pauses help reduce eye strain, prevent accidents, and sustain productivity over extended shifts.

In schools, breaks between lessons provide time for social interaction, physical activity, and mental rest. In many systems a short morning break and a longer midday break are standard features of the school day—sometimes called recess or the large break.

In cognitive psychology and productivity research, breaks can aid learning and performance. Methods such as the Pomodoro Technique structure work into intervals, usually around 25 minutes, separated by short breaks; longer sessions may include longer rest periods. Breaks support memory consolidation and prevent attentional decline.

In media playback and computing, pause is a user command to suspend progression temporarily. In software and game design, pauses can be used to stop timers, reflect, or plan next actions. In transportation and public spaces, rest areas or pauses along routes provide space to recover during long journeys.

Cultural variations exist: in some German-speaking regions the midday pause has historical and social significance, with longer shared breaks common in workplaces, while elsewhere breaks may be shorter or taken individually.