Are you always turned on?

Are you always turned on?

OK, let’s put it another way – do you have trouble switching off from work?

Most of us, at one time or another, will have had occasions when we can’t switch off from work – usually when we’re up against some tight deadlines or just have a mountain of work to tackle – but if this is you spend most of your evenings worrying about what you have to do in work the following day, then you have a problem.

This is something we when we asked: ‘Are you suffering from tech stress?’ – give it a read, and if this sounds like you, here are some tips to help you switch off…

Wind down on the way home

Commuting can be a right pain,  but unless you work from home it’s an inevitable, and usually unwanted part of the working day. However, aside from being used to get you from A (home) to B (work) the daily commute should also be used to create space between A (home) and B (work).

So use the journey home to ‘switch off’ by listening to some music or doing some light reading so that you’re not still in work mode by time you get home – and when you get home, don’t talk about work!

Set aside some worry time

If you’ve something on in work that’s constantly playing on your mind, be it a tricky project or a troublesome co-worker, try not to keep worrying about it without doing something about it.

So set aside a time when you can hit the problem head on – ‘worry time’ if you will – by booking a meeting with any stakeholders or the colleague in question and then try to put the issue out of your mind until the meeting (this is easier said than done, but still…)

Give your brain a break

If you’re snowed under in work it can be easy to forego any breaks and work through your lunch to get the work done. And while this can be beneficial every now and then, especially if you’re on deadline, doing it every day can be detrimental.

So make sure you take breaks during the day, and get away from your desk where possible.

Have you got any tips to switch off after work? Let us know below…