So I was thinking about how much I absolutely LOVE my computer, my tablet that I travel with, my smart phone, social media; basically everything that gives me the ability to connect with the world in a quick second. But I also thought about how things have changed so dramatically over the years, that at this point, my professional time and personal time often blend into one another. So I ask you the same question as I have asked myself. Do we ever REALLY disconnect from work? This is definitely a work in progress for me as I am sure it is for many of you. In this very technology based world that we live in, it is SO important for us to take control of our life and set the right boundaries between work time and personal time. No one else will do it for us, therefore we must take control of it or it will take over us (if it already hasn’t).
Why do we need to do this? Well, it’s all about recharging! And getting more balance in life. It isn’t healthy or really ‘smart’ to always be ‘on’. It’s not a good way to live, by being in work-mode all the time. There are other important things for us to attend to in life. Life is speeding on by and in order to be at our best, we must watch-out for burnout and fatigue and really take the time to spend time with loved ones and do other things that are important to us.
Do you have some challenges disconnecting from work at the end of the day? You are definitely not alone! So here are some ways that I disconnect from work! Maybe one or some of these will work for you!
10 ‘Smart’ Ways to Disconnect from Work at the End of the Day
- Tie up any loose ends at the end of the day. Organize your work area at the end of the day. Get your to-accomplish list ready for the next day.
- Set clear boundaries on when you will disconnect from work. The time and location.
- Make a commitment to not continually think about work once you get home. You have to focus on knowing you can’t control work on your off time and you deserve some personal time.
- Take a long hot shower as soon as you walk in the door.
- Put your walking or running shoes on and do something really healthy for yourself.
- Design hobbies, things that are not work related.
- Have a network of friends outside of work.
- Spend time with loved ones.
- Do some writing in a journal. Be creative and have fun with it.
- Shut off the electronics. You can do it!
So which of the 10 ways to disconnect most resonate with you? Which ones are you taking action on or plan on doing as we move ahead? What other ways do you use to disconnect from work? I would LOVE to hear from you!
Cynthia Bazin is absolutely passionate about YOUR success and happiness. She will teach you very ‘smart’ strategies for you to SOAR! If you’re ready and committed to invest in yourself, contact Cynthia today to start a conversation! [email protected]
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This is really a great post Cynthia. How does one disconnect from work & social media and just spend some quiet quality time with themselves, their family and their loved ones? It’s so important to separate work from home life because if not, the merging of the two would bring you no reprieve. I always try to shut down right before supper. I will check my messages on my phone but unless it is an emergency, they will go unanswered until the morning. Thanks again for sharing a wonderful post!
Thank you Linda for your comments! That is fantastic that you shut down the electronics before dinner. Good for you!
Great blog and some good suggestions too Cynthia!
Too often, many of these are harder to commit to than we’d actually like to acknowledge. For me, taking some time to play my guitar is a nice ‘break’ or disconnect where I can lose myself for a while, but I rarely take the time during the week, but rather do so on the weekend at least.
I think #3, #8 and #10 are particularly important to get in sync. If we are thinking about work, or are totally busy with social media, how can we truly engage 100% of ourselves with our loved ones? That’s a hard one when some of us are called to be “on call” 24/7/365 depending on our role. That is when #11 comes in, a vacation (short or long) where you can disconnect from all the electronics and work ‘noise’ that may be in your head, or in your e-mail or social media communications. Too supercharge, or even re-charge everyone needs time when they are 100% ‘unavailable’ to work influences ~ even if it is just a periodic thing such as a long weekend a few times a year.
Thanks again for making us stop and think!
Take care my friend!
Dale
Thank you SO much Dale for your comments/thoughts. I am glad that this post made you stop and think about the importance of REALLY unplugging at the end of the day. There are always things we can do. Thanks again for your wisdom. Play some guitar this evening!
I find it hard to disconnect to and seem to always have my laptop, tablet, my smartphone and work phone near or with me. It is one of my New Year’s resolutions…to disconnect more and spend time with my family. I admit it is hard. When we go out somewhere, I do not look at my phone, nor do I check emails. I make time during week nights and weekends to do the same. I want my daughter to remember my face, not the back of my laptop or top of my head from being too connected. 🙂
Thank you Chantal for your honesty that you have challenges disconnecting at the end of the day. As an action item, try one of these this next week. Small steps can make big gains in your personal life. It so important to unplug at the end of the day and take care of yourself!
Cynthia, this post really hits home with me. I have a home office so I am always surrounded by my work. Finding a way to “disconnect” is not always easy for me. When I look at your list, numbers 1, 3, 5, and 8 stand out.
It is not fair to my family if I constantly have my nose buried in my laptop, iPad, or phone. I have tried to separate myself from these devices once everyone is home so that we can enjoy our family time throughout the evening.
Many of my customers are used to me sending them information or answering e-mails at all times of the day and night. I am now trying to let them all know that I will respond to them/communicate with them during normal working hours (unless it is an emergency). As long as they know this they seem to be just fine with it.
As mentioned in a post above, a vacation where you truly are “disconnected” is an amazing way to re-focus and re-charge your batteries. Most of my trips are “work” trips, but last July I spent a week in Cabo where I put the laptop away, shut off my phone, and did not check my iPad. Wow, what an amazing feeling that was!
Thank you for another amazing post Cynthia.
Blessings-
Adam
Thank you Adam for your comments. I am so glad that you enjoyed the tips and hopefully some of them will inspire you to unplug more at the end of the day. We just HAVE to do it! Thanks for your support. I appreciate YOU!
Great post Cynthia as always!
I always have to write out a to do list for the day and actually cross off everything until accomplished. When I don’t I will forget one or two and then procrastinate until I find the time to do it. I also love to find time to write in my journal. That always helps put everything back on track or to go back and look over how I was feeling that day. I am looking forward to nicer weather so I can go for walks. That is always a good release for me and the healthier one since these winter months has left me feeling BLAH and unmotivated! Thank you for all you do and all of your inspiration.
Thank you Jeanne for your comments. Exercise is the PERFECT way to switch gears and unplug at the end of the day. We must take of ourselves!
I couldn’t agree more we all need to set clear boundaries between work and home between relaxation and switching off.
However we do it it’s vital that we do it daily to save future burn-out.
In the age of laptops emails smart phones having the office and work with us 24/7 is far too easy.
Personal and family time must happen each and everyday.
I agree with all the 10 ‘Smart Ways’ she has shown on how to Discount and how to put a plan into action.
It will help your mind you body and your spirit!
Go on do it you know it makes sense!
Again Cynthia gets it right…she always does!
Good luck.
Thanks so much Aubrey for your awesome comments! You are so right that with all the technology, we can totally be ‘on’ 24 hours a day. That’s why it is so important for us to set those boundaries! Unplug at some point in the day. Thank you again for your thoughts!
A much needed post, Cynthia. I must confess it’s hard for me to unplug figuratively and literally. I do need to run more and find ways to seek balance.
I remember Jim Rohn saying, Wherever you are, be there” If you are 100% present when working it’s easier to be 100% present away from work.
Thanks for sharing your talent with everyone, Cynthia.
Thank you so much Chad for your comments. Take this list and try some things…. Do a little at a time. You will thank yourself for it!! We all need to unplug at times!
I certainly need to disconnect more and get my kids to disconnect. I do set a time for them to turn off electronics. It is good for them to decompress from all that tech! I try to turn off my phone once the kids go to bed and than I relax with some reading!
Great ideas about disconnecting Cyn! We all need to take a break from the Social Media Circus!!
Thanks for the feedback Colleen! I hope some of the ideas you will try. And continue to turn that phone off at the end of the day if you can and get some relaxation time in!
Great tips Cindy! Thanks so much for sharing them with us!
Thank you SO much Rick for your feedback. You are appreciated!
Hi Cynthia,
This is a timely post as there are new ways cropping up daily of being constantly “connected.” In fact, just because we stay connected doesn’t mean we remain productive, in fact often the opposite is true. The more we stay continually connected, the less effective and more depleted we become over time. I think #2 – clear boundaries are exceedingly important, backed up by rituals to support those boundaries. On days when I’m working with clients or students I schedule my workout and sauna at the end of the day – as soon as I walk into the gym, I have a physical and mental shift and I’m disconnected until the next day. My ritual when I shift to writing time is a hot shower and hot tea in my writing nook, that reinforces the physical and mental shift. And I schedule at least one day a week when I leave all tech behind. I started going completely tech free on vacations a long time ago when I was still an IT consultant and continue to do so. It really makes a difference to be able to completely disconnect, recharge and refill the creative well. It takes longer to let go of the lingering buzz of technology than you think it will, but when you give it enough time, the creativity and ideas start to flow. So I keep an ideas journal in my purse to jot down the ideas that come up in down time so I can refer back to them when I connect again.
Debbie, how true that is what you say, that staying connected doesn’t mean we remain productive. I absolutely love the ways you disconnect at the end of the day. Sounds SO relaxing. Love all your ideas, but I really like how you schedule one day during the week that is totally tech free. Thanks for sharing all your ways! You are appreciated!
Hey Cindy, thanks for the blog! I’m a sports guy, the best way for me to disconnect is to watch some sports! I don’t get to travel as much as I want to, but getting to spend quality time with my family is also very enjoyable to me. I especially like to sit down and rehash old stories with my parents and brothers. Those are happy times to disconnect and not feel tied down to work.
Great ways to disconnect Geoffrey! The key is for you to unplug at the end of the day and it seems like what you do is working perfectly for you. Way to go!
Great post Cynthia! Thanks for sharing those wonderful ideas.
My approach is: don’t count, don’t stress over it. If I start counting working hours versus non-working hours, it will never…balance. Since I’m very lucky to do work I LOVE, balance for me, starts by doing just that: enjoying what I do, enjoying and cherishing every moment.
However, with instant and constant connectivity, it’s SO easy to fall into the “always-on” trap. So at the end of the day, more often than not, the smart phone and devices are off and guess what? My world doesn’t fall apart! And I get to enjoy quality presence with my family. 🙂
Also, I’ve learned that if I wait until this, until that…the perfect timing for a vacation never happens. At some point, I just do it. So, travel arrangements are already done for a spring and a fall vacation!
Overall, I’m very fortunate to be surrounded with family and friends who enjoy having a good time together and who make time for each other.
Cheers!
Giovanni
I struggle with this every…single…day. Where does your professional life end and your personal life start? Where does returning a “quick” email intrude on your recharge time? How do you ignore the missed text or phone call?
Blurred Lines…
Sheryl Brown / @BIONICsocialite
Hi Cynthia – this is a really tough question!
You touch on this – the way that Social Media and the ability to stay connected leads us to blur our professional and personal time.
Blogging and the conversations that I have through that medium are such a huge part of my daily life and slowly but surely, they blend with my work routine and home time.
i think that the social media persona has become such a large part of who i am and how i want to spend my time.
Having said that, it’s important to sometimes stand back and think “where does one start and one stop?”.
I try to do a couple of things.
1. Walk a couple of train stops before i get my train ride home. I like the 15-20 mins quiet walking time
2. Turn it all off by 9pm. Nothing makes it harder to unwind than going to bed with a head full of emails, tweets, comments and blah blah
3. Keep Sundays free. By that, I mean I get up at 5am and write until 8am, then switch it all off. That sort of demarcation forces me to compact my planned activities into 6 days which in itself, is a useful discipline.
Thanks for the post, I really enjoyed it!
Thank you for the great reminders in your blog, Cynthia! Disconnecting is certainly a challenge for me, especially in my line of work. My work often carries over into my time at home during the week and on weekends. It’s difficult to not continually think about it. I know how important it is for me to spend quality time with family. Carving out that time is a constant goal of mine. I appreciate your suggestion of setting very specific boundaries and a specific time when you will disconnect from work and focus on your personal life. I find that sitting down with my family at the dinner table each night helps us to unwind and enjoy each other’s company. I’m also looking forward to the warmer weather so we can start taking our walks outside together again. Thank you for another GREAT blog post, Cynthia!!
We try to disconnect every nite. The kids are given a time limit on electronics and than they must read or play a game (ie cards, a board game) It is a good way to slow your mind down and get it ready for some SLEEP TIME!