Stress is one of the top contributors to poor health for adults in the United States. The demands we place on ourselves in the workplace can cause both short- and long-term health issues and affect our relationships with our loved ones. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Knowing how to disconnect from work after work hours and concentrate on the present can help employees create an effective work-life separation and improve their overall employee experience. Here are some tips employees can use — and managers can share with their teams – on the importance of knowing how to disconnect from work.
In order to maintain a good balance, and even separation between your work hours and your life away from work, it is important to establish your boundaries early on. If you answer e-mails from home at night, then you give people permission to e-mail you after work hours. The earlier in your career that you set the standard for how someone should communicate with you professionally, the easier it will be for them to respect the boundaries and the easier it will be for you to disconnect from work.
In today’s always-connected world, it can be challenging to truly disconnect from work and enjoy your downtime. With smartphones laptops and the ability to check email 24/7, many of us feel pressured to be “on call” even during evenings weekends and vacations. But disconnecting from work is crucial for reducing stress, improving work-life balance, boosting creativity and avoiding burnout.
Here are some tips for how to enjoy your downtime without feeling guilty about being disconnected from work
Create a Separate Workspace
If you work from home, it’s important to have a dedicated office or workspace where you can work When it’s time to disconnect, physically leave your workspace Working in the same spot where you relax and unwind makes it harder to mentally separate work and personal time. Having a door you can physically close on your office helps create boundaries.
If you don’t have a spare room for a home office, try carving out a corner, nook or any space where you can set up a desk and computer. Keep this area tidy and free from clutter. Only do work in this space so you can associate it solely with work tasks.
Set Boundaries with Technology
Set your work devices to “do not disturb” mode outside of work hours. Put your laptop, tablet and work phone away where you can’t see them during evenings and weekends. Log out of work email and messaging apps so you’re not tempted to check constantly.
Let coworkers and managers know you won’t be checking email or messages outside of work hours except for pre-approved exceptions. They will adjust and learn not to expect instant responses from you 24/7.
Some people even find it helpful to use separate devices for work versus personal use to help keep those boundaries.
Have a Consistent End-of-Day Routine
Developing a clear cutoff routine around when you “leave work” is crucial. Have a set time each day when you shut down your computer, tidy your desk and physically leave your workspace behind for the day.
Resist the urge to work late or cram in a few more emails. Let yourself properly wrap up so you can feel good about leaving things until the next workday.
Changing your clothes when you’re done work can help signal you’re off the clock. So can going for a short walk outside or doing a quick meditation. Find an end-of-day ritual that works for you.
Leave Work at Work
When you’re off the clock, focus on personal activities. Don’t talk about work constantly or let it invade your time with family and friends.
If you’re on vacation, refrain from checking in altogether. Let your team know the best way to reach you for a truly urgent matter. But otherwise leave work behind entirely while you recharge.
When you catch yourself thinking about a work project, gently bring yourself back to the moment. Appreciate the freedom that comes from not worrying about work for a while.
Have a Morning Routine
Just as an evening cutoff routine helps, so does a morning routine to ease back into work mode. You might go for a walk, meditate or enjoy a leisurely cup of coffee before diving into work emails and tasks.
Avoid waking up and immediately rolling over to grab your phone. Instead, take time to wake up properly and engage your mind. This helps signal the transition back to work mode.
Schedule Time Off
Use your vacation days and block off real time away from work. Even just a long weekend helps break up the daily grind. When you know time off is coming up, it’s easier to disconnect knowing a proper break is ahead.
Try to fully disengage from work during vacations. Don’t just bring your work with you somewhere new. Leave the laptop at home and put an “out of office” message on. Give yourself permission to properly recharge.
Focus on Your Personal Life
Make sure your life outside of work is fulfilling. Pursue meaningful hobbies and relationships. Do things that challenge your mind in different ways, like taking a class or learning a skill.
When your personal life is energizing and engaging, you’ll feel less tempted to fill downtime by overworking. Disconnecting becomes easier when you have meaningful ways to spend your time off.
Set Healthy Work Hours
While the 9-5 schedule isn’t a fit for every job, having set hours can help workers disconnect in the evenings. Avoid letting work time gradually bleed later and later into nights and weekends.
Look for natural stopping points during your workday instead of feeling like you must power through until everything is done. Learning to step away keeps work from taking over.
Talk to your manager if your workload seems truly unmanageable within a standard 40 hour workweek. They may be able to shift tasks or priorities to create a healthier workload.
Truly Unplug
When you take time off, look for opportunities to fully unplug from technology and connect with nature instead. Leave your devices behind for a hike in the woods, an afternoon at the beach or a camping trip. The outdoors can do wonders to help you detach from work and reduce stress.
Even an hour without phones or laptops, sitting outside and appreciating your surroundings, can rejuvenate you. Look for small ways to take “tech breaks” and enjoy quieter activities.
Prioritize Your Wellbeing
Remind yourself regularly that your mental health and personal relationships must take priority over work. No job should require you to be “on call” 24/7 without breaks.
It’s healthy and necessary to set boundaries and take time off. You’ll return feeling more motivated, focused and engaged. Do what’s needed to take good care of yourself, even if that means pushing back on expectations sometimes.
Leave Work Challenges Behind
When you’re struggling with a project or problem at work, it’s easy to ruminate on it constantly in hopes of finding a solution. But allowing yourself to detach and do something totally unrelated often generates those “aha” moments.
Rather than grinding away late at night on a problem, walk away and come back to it fresh in the morning. Give your mind space to connect the dots subconsciously.
Avoid Guilt
Know that detaching from work is necessary, not selfish.Humans aren’t designed to work nonstop. Enjoying downtime helps you avoid burnout.
Remind yourself that completely unplugging and taking time off is what allows you to be energized and fully present when you are working. It’s just as important as the actual work itself.
Discuss with your manager that while you aim to deliver excellent work, you also value work-life balance and need to disconnect completely at times. See if they can support reasonable policies around after-hours contact for the whole team.
Change Your Mindset
Rather than thinking you should always be working, shift your mindset toward appreciating and fully utilizing your downtime. Disconnecting is a skill to nurture, not a guilt-inducing distraction.
Consider how you can use your downtime in restorative ways that make you happier and more productive overall. Reframing your mindset takes practice, but can create healthy habits.
Giving yourself permission to disconnect gets easier over time as you realize the benefits. Pay attention to how you feel after a vacation or weekend without work. Let go of the false idea that you must always be “on.”
Make Time for Self-care
Ensure you take time to eat well, exercise, and get enough sleep during busy work periods. Don’t let hectic workdays result in you sacrificing self-care. Prioritizing healthy habits makes you more resilient against stress and burnout.
Soak in a bubble bath, take up yoga, meditate, or do whatever nourishes your mind and body. Protect this time fiercely; it’s just as important as work deliverables.
Disconnect Together
If your whole team or family tends to overwork, suggest a group activity where everyone disconnects together. Book a team weekend getaway with no laptops allowed. Or have everyone take an evening off from checking emails.
When you all commit to truly unplugging together, it removes pressure to “be online” and normalizes taking time off. Create new traditions focused on disconnection.
Reward Yourself
When you resist the urge to work evenings and weekends, treat yourself. Plan a fun weekend activity in advance that you can look forward to, like a concert or hiking trip.
Or pick out a book you’re excited to finally sit down and read when you’re not working. Have delicious snacks or a bottle of wine ready for your evenings off. Build in fun incentives.
Stay Firm on Boundaries
Expect that your team or employer may push back on your efforts to keep work in check. Stay firm on the boundaries you set; don’t let others guilt you into always being available.
Politely but assertively respond that you don’t check messages after certain hours or days. Share how setting these boundaries makes you more focused when you are working.
Over time, demonstrating that you can disconnect while still delivering great work can positively influence your organization’s culture. Coworkers may follow your lead.
Change Your Environment
Get out of your everyday environment when possible to help shift your mindset away from work. Take a staycation at a
Take Your Full Vacation
Americans are notorious for skipping vacations even though an overwhelming majority of employees believe companies should offer more paid time off. American employees, as a rule, receive less vacation than many other countries. In Europe, for example, employees typically have four weeks of paid vacation. Don’t be a martyr to your company: take the vacation you have earned and are owed as the break from work will do you the world of good and help you to really disconnect from work.
So as ensure you do not feel tempted to work while on vacation and fully disconnect from work, make sure you do as much work and preparation as you can ahead of time. Finish outstanding projects, tie up loose ends and leave clear instructions for the colleagues who will be covering your workload so you will not be contacted while you are away. You should also establish a clear definition of what an “emergency” is and let your colleagues know the circumstances under which they can contact you i.e. a real emergency and not something they can find out themselves or something that can wait until you’re back in the office. This way, you will fully disconnect from work and enjoy your well-earned break.
Switch Off Your Electronic Devices
The average North American adult spends nearly 10 hours per day looking at various screens and while most of this time can be attributed to work, it still leaves several hours where we are staring at screens for personal reasons. Studies have shown that staring at our screens for one to two hours before going to sleep can lead to increased anxiety, depression, poor sleep and a decrease in emotional well-being. The answer is to take a break from these devices but that is difficult when we don’t even realize how much we use them. The average American adult checks his cell phone up to 85 times per day but, when asked, would only estimate half that number.
It is difficult to disconnect from work when we apply the same practices in our personal life as we do in our professional one. Choose to read a book before bed or to listen to soothing music without your eyes glued to an electronic screen. Do not take work to bed with you.
How easy is it to leave the office then go and complain about the office to a friend or partner? How can you really disconnect from work if you think and talk about it even in your personal time? Solitude is one of the most powerful tools to help you disconnect from work. Spending time alone helps you to process and regulate complex emotions and thoughts, free from the opinions and judgements of others. Take some quiet time in the evening to process your day and your feelings, disconnect from work and recharge.
Researchers have discovered that engaging in challenging activities outside of the office that we enjoy helps us to disconnect from work. Take up a new language, learn how to play chess, take up a dance class, learn to knit… the list of new hobbies to try is endless and is a surefire way to disconnect from work. Who knows, you might even make new friends as well!
How to turn off work thoughts during your free time | Guy Winch
What does it mean to disconnect from work?
Struggling to disconnect from work is a good sign and everyone should practice doing quality work. It shows involvement, fulfillment, and dedication to hard work. But work isn’t everything. Family, relationships, mental strength, spiritual wellness, and psychical health are the other pillars to live a full life.
Why is disconnecting from work important?
Disconnecting from work is mission-critical to your mental health and emotional well-being. You must set work-life boundaries to help ease into having some downtime. Unplugging from work is necessary to recharge and relax from long periods of running at full speed. That time away will help boost your productivity and engagement.
What happens if you Don’t Disconnect from work?
Even remote-work dinosaurs can tell you about how many times they had to change their routine. The problem is that when you don’t disconnect from work, your mind and body start suffering the consequences. You can develop metabolic syndrome and diabetes, and even increase your risks of getting a heart attack.
How do I schedule time to disconnect from work?
Planning ahead can help you schedule time to disconnect from work. Every Monday, plan your schedule for the rest of the week and find some time to take a break and unwind. Knowing the times of your meetings and when you’re often the busiest at work can help you schedule quality time to relax and destress. Related: How To Make a Daily Work Schedule
