In today’s busy and connected world, it’s harder and harder to disconnect from work. Even when you aren’t there, you find your mind wandering, contemplating the challenges facing you there.
So how do you overcome this and prevent work from overwhelming your home life? How do you disengage so you can make the most of your time away?
My wife tells me I’m great at balancing work and home life and I should write about it. I joke with her that I excel because no one runs from work faster than me. 😉
How to Improve Your Work-Life Balance
Remember, you work to live. Not live to work.Take what works for you and leave the rest behind.
Don’t become emotionally attached to work
I’ve found over the years that maintaining a level of emotional detachment from work works well in balancing work and life. Sometimes a ‘who cares?’ attitude is exactly what the doctor ordered! Remember, you work to live. Not live to work.
Set working hours expectations
One of the best things you can do is make sure you set up work expectations appropriately. This applies before you take a job and after. Make sure the employers expectations and yours are in alignment.
Set clear boundaries
Make sure there is a clear line of demarcation between work and your life outside of work. If the boundary between the two isn’t clear it will be hard to disconnect. For example, if you’re always socializing with co-workers after hours, the boundaries will be blurred at best.
Don’t put your work email on your personal phone!
If your work email is on your personal phone, remove it! It’s tough to disconnect from work when it’s always there right on your phone. If the expectation has been set that you will respond to work email at all hours, start taking steps to reduce this expectation.
Only respond to emergencies after hours
Don’t respond to every small request that you may get after hours. If it can wait until normal business hours, communicate that to the person making the request and address during normal hours. If you are always responding to requests at all hours you’re going to keep getting those requests.
Train others to do your work
Make sure that you aren’t the only one who knows how to do what you do. Teach others the skills necessary to perform your job. Having co-workers with the skills and knowledge to cover for you when you’re gone will provide for fewer ‘emergencies’ when you’re out of the office.
Start hobbies/creative interests that distract you from work
Find some hobbies and creative interests that you can do that will take your mind off work. Maybe take up woodworking, yoga, martial arts, crochet, gardening, r/c plane flying, model trains, or learn to play the guitar. It doesn’t matter so much what it is, just find something that is enjoyable to you and helps you unwind.
Set recreation/fitness goals
I struggled to actually write the word “goals” here! I’m not crazy fond of goals. Especially when it comes to recreation. Seems like a bit of an oxymoron. Anyway, set “goals” for yourself to start getting some regular exercise. Maybe it’s starting to play basketball again or soccer or yoga. Again, what you choose to do isn’t as important as just finding something that you enjoy and can help you relax and unwind.
Volunteer!
Find a cause that you think is worthwhile and devote some time to giving back. Whether that’s UnitedWay, ARL, Habitat for Humanity, or maybe a homeless shelter. Find a way to give back to the community. Not only are you helping people (or animals in ARLs case), but you are also getting something out of the experience as well. Giving can be one of the greatest sources of joy.
Set personal development goals
There I go again using the word “goals”…. Anyway, try to think of some skills that you would like to develop for yourself. Maybe take up computer programming, acting, public speaking, a new language, ballroom dancing, or start a blog. That’s probably not the best list of examples, but you get the idea. If there is something out there that you always thought it would be fun to learn how to do, start. Doesn’t matter how hokey it is.
Disconnecting from work can take a lot of practice and discipline. I haven’t always been able to disconnect like I do today. Over the years I’ve developed a rule for myself to ‘forget’ about work once I walk out the door. I look at it like this – I don’t want to give any more family time to my employer than I have to.
Well, there you have it. These are some of the things that I do that help me to disconnect from my work. Hopefully, one or two will be useful for you and will help you find the balance in your life that you are longing for.
Amelia Shannon says
This post is exactly what I needed to read after a stressful week at work. Serendipity. Thanks for these great reminders!