Thank you for sharing this post with me. The last couple years I struggled with creating a work-life separation, since I worked from home. Now that I'm on my own, I still tend to blur the line, but I've gotten better at finishing up my day and obeying a hard stop.
Something key for me is having very obvious hard lines between the two.
Example: you wake up and start checking work email. Why? It's probably not critical.
Instead? Go to the gym. Go for a run. Do hard cardio. Write something. Read a book. All things that pull you from your phone.
Another example: end of day and you're still looking at Slacks, emails well into dinner and beyond. Why?
Instead? Make dinner. Clean your space. Write. Read. Hang with your partner/spouse/kids. Meet friends somewhere. All things that pull you from your phone.
Not all of these behaviors are exclusively because of phones - but it's very easy to forget about dividing lines when you're checking emails/Slacks/etc. at all times from all locations.
I do more kid care during the week and try hard to stay focused on dinner / hanging with my kids and wife when the day is over rather than continually thinking about work.
It's amazing all the things we do by default, without thinking about it. All it takes is a little self-awareness and scrutiny to realize the unhelpfulness of our behaviors. Especially overwork.
Thank you for sharing this post with me. The last couple years I struggled with creating a work-life separation, since I worked from home. Now that I'm on my own, I still tend to blur the line, but I've gotten better at finishing up my day and obeying a hard stop.
Something key for me is having very obvious hard lines between the two.
Example: you wake up and start checking work email. Why? It's probably not critical.
Instead? Go to the gym. Go for a run. Do hard cardio. Write something. Read a book. All things that pull you from your phone.
Another example: end of day and you're still looking at Slacks, emails well into dinner and beyond. Why?
Instead? Make dinner. Clean your space. Write. Read. Hang with your partner/spouse/kids. Meet friends somewhere. All things that pull you from your phone.
Not all of these behaviors are exclusively because of phones - but it's very easy to forget about dividing lines when you're checking emails/Slacks/etc. at all times from all locations.
I do more kid care during the week and try hard to stay focused on dinner / hanging with my kids and wife when the day is over rather than continually thinking about work.
It's amazing all the things we do by default, without thinking about it. All it takes is a little self-awareness and scrutiny to realize the unhelpfulness of our behaviors. Especially overwork.