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Remote workers, how do you stop thinking about work?

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Re: Remote workers, how do you stop thinking about work?

#11

Post by vanadium »

kongojack wrote: post #8

I set an alarm for when I'm supposed to stop work, close everything and then set it out of sight (my laptop goes in the closet). I find the Pavlovian conditioning helps stop my mind from ruminating after a certain time of day.

Similarly, I have my desk lamp outfitted with Hue lights controlled via HomeKit, which always turn on 15 minutes before work and turn off at the usual time I clock out plus 15 minutes, and for the days I close up in time, I make it an absolute habit to turn them off before heading back upstairs to be with family.

It takes commitment to consistency, but it’s extremely effective for me to associate the light switch to my work day.

Re: Remote workers, how do you stop thinking about work?

#14

Post by IndepAmoeba »

I end each day by writing everything on my mind in a journal. Todos, ideas to explore, details about work in progress, people to talk to, etc. Very stream-of-consciousness, no filter, no organization. Just get it all on the page.

Every time I find myself thinking about work in the evening, I walk back over to my desk and add to the journal entry.

I find the biggest cause (for me) is having ideas bouncing around in my head that don't exist elsewhere. Maybe it's an idea that's not concrete enough to become a Jira ticket yet, or a vague sense that "we should do thing X". Once it's written I can forget about it, and pick it up the next morning.

Re: Remote workers, how do you stop thinking about work?

#15

Post by theonemind »

If you didn't have those problems with non-remote work, perhaps try to recreate about non-remote-work that stopped those problems from occurring.

Maybe you don't feel a clear boundary between work and home life? For whatever reason, my mental context goes by the hours on the clock. I'm mentally at work on a fixed schedule, 8-5. I'm mentally not at work on opposite side of that fixed schedule, with just as much fixity as I have on working during 8-5. So, perhaps rigidly fixed hours help?

Re: Remote workers, how do you stop thinking about work?

#18

Post by rmk »

I can suggest one easy way to develop a firm, clear boundary between work and life in the evening. Join a class or social club that requires you to be physically present someplace at a fixed time in the evening, preferably around six PM. Commit to a 100% attendance record for a month, and see how you now have a gainful activity and a great work-life balance shaping up.

Re: Remote workers, how do you stop thinking about work?

#19

Post by muzani »

rmk wrote: post #18

I can suggest one easy way to develop a firm, clear boundary between work and life in the evening. Join a class or social club that requires you to be physically present someplace at a fixed time in the evening, preferably around six PM. Commit to a 100% attendance record for a month, and see how you now have a gainful activity and a great work-life balance shaping up.

I did this and it gave me headaches because I have to log off in the middle of doing something that's almost done. And then I'd spend the next 3 hours thinking about it. Being grumpy and non-present did not improve work-life balance.
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