Ways to Disconnect from Work

It's a well-coined phrase, but true: work smarter, not harder. Productivity and putting in long hours don't really go together well. You want to be fresh, focused, motivated and energetic when heading into work each day. If you're already exhausted, then you can forget about productivity and getting things done.

So what makes us so shattered by the working week? It's where we can't switch off from work. Many people literally take work home with them via their laptop and smartphone. They're emailing, messaging, working on the train, working at home. Many other people are figuratively taking their work home with them: they are worrying about it. There is little downtime.

We have to learn to disconnect from work in order to be more productive and happier. Let's look at some ways in which we can refresh ourselves when it comes to the work/life balance.

Don't take work home with you
If your company's culture is to take work home with you, then talk to your boss. Tell him or her that you'd rather put in a much more productive 9 to 5 than an ineffective 9 to 9. An open-minded boss would surely accept such a reasonable request.

Exercise
This is the best way to de-stress and reboot. Exercise will relax the mind and rid your muscles of all that tension. It will also get you in shape, and give you a better night's sleep.

Eat well
Tiredness and stress go hand in hand. A poor diet will leave you fatigued. Eat wholefoods. A good diet will keep you alert and will help you avoid the "mid-afternoon torpor" that many people suffer with if they have a heavy lunch.

Develop hobbies
Get your brain active in something other than work. Hobbies are a great way to mentally switch off from work.

Take regular "staycations"
Visit new places. A change is as good as a rest as the saying goes. You can really forget about work in a new location. All those reminders of work are gone in a new place.

Let go of worry
This is not easy, but you have to truly forget about work when you're not there. It's just pointless rumination over work problems that make it seemingly impossible to "let go" of work-related thinking. This letting go has to be practiced over and over. Hobbies and non-work related distractions will help you replace that pointless thinking with healthier thought patterns.

Article kindly provided by caltours-coach.co.uk

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