I had the same question a while ago and a few people suggested bumping up the time to 45 minutes.
What I've noticed is that a timed 5 minute break is extremely short. It's pretty easy to keep the flow right through ... you can read HN or check which emails need attention with half a brain and keep the other half thinking about the task.
Or just go grab a cup of coffee. That is surely low-key enough not to break your flow right?
Or try 5 minutes of nothing. Just sit there but refrain from touching either keyboard or mouse. You can think/daydream/meditate/try to solve the problem you were working on in your head/etc. :D
What I've noticed is that a timed 5 minute break is extremely short. It's pretty easy to keep the flow right through ... you can read HN or check which emails need attention with half a brain and keep the other half thinking about the task.
Or just go grab a cup of coffee. That is surely low-key enough not to break your flow right?
I think the keyword is: menial tasks.