All work and no play?
That’s a sure-fire recipe for stress.
Family time, leisure time and sound sleep are essential to keeping you balanced, focused and successful in your career. But if your mind is always occupied with work, it’s virtually impossible to recharge when you’re away.
The result? Fatigue. Anxiety. Inability to “be in the moment.”
Heavy workloads and constant connectivity make it tough for many of us to mentally switch gears when the work day is over. If you have trouble unwinding at the end of the day, use these tips from our Cool Springs staffing agency to disconnect, switch gears and really enjoy your time away from your job:
1. Clean up.
Physical and digital clutter competes for your attention, even after you leave work. At the end of the day, put things away. Delete messages from your voice mail and email accounts. Get organized for tomorrow.
A clean work space allows you to clear your mind when you leave.
2. Make tomorrow’s To-Do list.
Finish the day with prioritized goals and a plan for tomorrow. Get tasks down on paper (or use your preferred productivity software), so you can get those nagging To-Dos out of your head.
3. Create a transition ritual.
Routines aren’t just for kids’ bedtimes! Rituals are a great tool for easing transitions for people of all ages (and in all circumstances). During your commute home, engage in an enjoyable mental activity that separates your mind from work:
- Listen to your favorite music
- Play a challenging game on your phone (only if you’re not driving, of course!)
- Call a friend or family member
4. Visualize decompression.
If your job is stressful and you find unwinding difficult, imagine that you’re a spool of thread, literally unraveling from job-related stress. Add this activity to your daily transition ritual:
- Close your eyes and deliberately slow your breathing
- Imagine work-related worries attached to the spool
- Slowly unravel the thread, loosening unwanted thoughts from your brain
5. Play mind games.
Still occupied with work problems once you make it home? Distract your brain with a different “problem.” Focus your mental energy on a home-, hobby- or family-related challenge. When thoughts wander back to work, remind yourself to stay mentally present.
Make personal time a priority.
Protect and respect your time away from work. If you don’t make work/life balance a priority, nobody else will!
And if long hours, position vacancies or looming deadlines are making it harder for you to leave work at work, give Wood Personnel’s Cool Springs employment agency a call.
