Disconnecting from work – How to unplug and recover!
Working from home has brought with it numerous benefits, as well as new challenges. One of the most common difficulties that we are now facing is unplugging after work, along with loneliness, distractions management and staying motivated.
Being successful in disconnecting from work, both physically and mentally, offers us opportunities to re-energize, re-charge our batteries and maintain our motivation. The ability to unplug from our jobs brings with it invaluable benefits and positive consequences.
Higher engagement and flow
Lower levels of fatigue and burnout
Diminished tendency to procrastinate and avoid
Lower level of stress and increased productivity
Increased relationship satisfaction, both at work and home
Greater well-being and quality of life
Why is it challenging to disconnect?
Disconnection from work can be difficult because of a variety of factors that might get in our way: perfectionism and difficulty in making decisions, the guilt associated with procrastination, time management and organization issues, difficulty prioritizing needs and setting and reinforcing boundaries, overcommitting and overscheduling and environment elements.
Identifying and addressing these individual factors is an essential step in changing your relationship with work. So, the important question is: How do you truly disconnect, unplug and recover from your workday?
1. Acknowledge your daily accomplishments
Sometimes we get lost in the motion of going from one day to the other. And in this mechanical movement, we forget to pause and reflect on what we actually manage to achieve in a day.
Start to change that by writing a list of accomplishments for that day. Use the questions below to guide you.
What tasks did you start, continue or finalize?
What was challenging, but you managed to overcome or solve?
What was unplanned but you managed to adapt to?
After you have completed your list, take a moment to think about the positive emotions you are able to experience because of your accomplishments. Maybe you feel pride or satisfaction, maybe joy or gratitude. Purposefully keep yourself in that moment where you can maximize and prolong these emotions.
2. Create a realistic plan for tomorrow
Sometime our minds keep us connected because our need for predictability and control is not sufficiently satisfied. So, try to offer your brain reassurance and comfort by creating a plan with what you want to do tomorrow.
If after the end of your work day, your mind still worries about how to finish certain tasks or deal with different work problems, remind yourself that you made a plan and you will focus on those important points tomorrow. Do this by using a calm, reassuring voice in your inner dialogue.
When making a plan for your next workday, ask yourself:
Is my plan realistic with achievable goals?
Am I overscheduling? How many items are on my list?
Do I have enough space for my basic and self-care needs?
Do I leave enough space for “the unexpected”?
3. Celebrate the rest of your day
How can you motivate yourself to want to disconnect from work?
When you are excited and looking forward to the rest of your day, it becomes easier to get some distance from work. It’s all about anticipating rewards and positive consequences while investing in other important things that are meaningful to you.
Consider what type of activities you want to do after you finish working.
Reflect on the other important areas in your life (excluding work) and use them to guide you plan fun things (e.g., relationships, health, personal development, spirituality, relaxation)
Think about what usually brings you pleasure, satisfaction, excitement, relaxation, or any other positive feeling, emotion or state
Choose at least 2-3 activities that you can commit to doing without putting pressure on yourself
If you need extra support, you can even include these activities in your daily schedule and set reminders to hold you accountable
After I finish work today, I will…
Call a dear friend to catch up (– relationships – excitement, affection)
Cook and eat a delicious dinner (– health – pleasure, gratitude)
Take a walk in the park (– health / relaxation – enjoyment, connecting with nature)
4. Make a commitment to disconnect
Choose a statement that works for you that would support you in disconnecting right now.
Make sure you formulate it in a way that sounds like you and it is something easy to keep in mind. You can also write it on a post-it and stick it somewhere on your desk. Here are some examples to guide you:
I have done my best today and I will continue to improve tomorrow. Now it is time to stop and focus on what I want to do the rest of the day.
It was a difficult workday today, but I have learned so much. It is time for me to focus on some pleasant activities that will bring me positive emotions.
I had a great workday and now it is time for me to use this positive energy in my other area of my life and do the activities planned for the rest of the evening.
We are all in this trying to do our best while we discover what works for us in remote working and how to overcome the challenge of disconnecting. A lot of the time, it is a trial and error approach, in which we keep learning what can support us. Consider acknowledging your accomplishments, making realistic plans, celebrating the rest of the day and committing to trying to disconnect.
Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes…including you. - Anne Lamott
Let’s Talk
If you are having difficulty disconnecting for work and want to discover more tools and strategies that can help you unplug and invest in other important area of your life, get in touch. We discuss your needs and goals and find ways to personalize this process so you can get the most out of it.
