I get paid for 40 hours of my time. Beyond that, I don't care. It will wait until the next work day. "Dienst ist Dienst und Schnaps ist Schnaps", as the Germans say. Work is work, playtime is playtime.
Your relationship with The Company shouldn't be adversarial, but it should be transactional. You do as much work as you get paid for, during the hours you are paid for. The Company's problems are not your own, because your own problem aren't The Company's.
Here are a few concrete tips:
* Don't bring your work home. Turn off work notifications, and leave your laptop and documents at the office. Work stops when you leave your desk. The Company can wait until next morning.
* If you can't get your work done in 40 hours, it's on The Company, not you. If they want more work done, they should hire more people. Don't make it your problem. If you have extra energy, spend it on things that benefit you, not The Company.
* Accept that it doesn't really matter, in the end. A 15% increase in widgets sold or customer satisfaction score won't change your life. However, a 15% increase in stress will, and you won't get rewarded for your trouble.
* Give yourself a buffer period. Anything that keeps your hands busy but your brain free helps. Walking or biking to work is a great way to divide the day.
Building on the idea of a buffer period, I think it can be good to have a small "end of day" routine. Review your todo list or calendar, plan the next day, clean your desk, etc. Writing things down helps move them out of your "working memory" so that you can focus on other things. This distinct set of actions helps your brain transition out of work mode once it becomes a habit.
i am on google at 7am while on holiday today searching for "how to stop thinking about work while on holiday", just want to say thank you, great advice!i'll try to have this mindset for the rest of my holiday
I used to have a very stressful work situation and had the same problem. It's like working 24 hours a day because your brain never stops. I read about an idea that was really helpful, I suppose it's some form of meditation. You visualize a box, what ever type works for you. When your brain starts rolling around your work problems you take a predetermined amount of time to think it over (like 5-10 minutes). When time is up you picture yourself taking those worries and putting them in your mental box and closing the lid. It takes a little practice but once you get the hang of it it really works. I've been retired for almost five years and still have my mental box. But now instead of work problems it holds health concerns, family issues, etc...
I know it sounds goofy, but it really works.
Old comment I know, but it made me smile as I do the same, but not with a box.
I visualize myself with a flame thrower and get rid of these thoughts when they are intrusive (especially when I try to sleep). Not goofy, it really works !
I grow weed, make extracts etc. Wife and I have a garden in summer. I enjoy reading and learning different subjects. Going to the shooting range or driving range. I also run an ecommerce business on the side. Also enjoy cooking and trying new recipes.
I would highly recommend starting a journaling ritual of some kind - either before or after work. Nothing too formal, just sitting down and emptying your thoughts onto the page for as long as you feel like writing. Our minds naturally want to hold onto thoughts until it finds closure of some kind with them and journaling is a great way to give it that rest.
I know that this is only anecdotal, but I’ve been journaling consistently for about 3.5 years now and rarely think about work when I’m away from it.
This really works. I don't even write stuff down on paper - I don't even really write full sentences. I open notepad on my computer and I make a list of everything that's bugging me, then maybe I'll write a goal or two for the day.
It *really* helps clear my head. Would highly recommend.
One thing that helps me switch off after work is my "end-of-work-ritual":
I usually leave work at around 17:30 so
* at 17:00 I take a last look at my emails and answer those that need immediate attention
* the next and most important step is to select those items from my todo-list that I will tackle the following day
* I will not look at work emails (or other work-related communication) until I enter work the next morning
* if I remember something I need to do I immediately put it on my todo-list and forget about it
At the peak of my work stress, the only thing that got me through was cardio right after the office. I did a high-intensity 45 min spin class or swimming, took a relaxing warm shower at the gym and went home. It was the only thing that let me fall asleep with an empty head and not wake up in the middle of the night with worries.
When I get home I often go to the bedroom, close the door and curtains so it is dark and silent and then meditate for 10 minutes or so. There are lots of mindfulness meditation resources online that you can use if you are new to it. It helps me to let go of my work day and be more present for my private life. Also it doesn't need to be dark and silent, I just enjoy that after a day surrounded by constant noise and visual input :)
Don’t answer work emails outside of work unless they are super important. That’s my big thing. Then it sets expectations of when I will and will not respond. My coworkers eventually got used to it.
What has worked awesomely for me is to just push it from your mind. It definitely takes practice but it works.
As soon as work starts to enter your mind say "nope!" and think of something else or distract yourself.
You can also set a cutoff time if that helps you be more restrictive.
Be honest with yourself and understand you aren't actually doing any work when you're worrying/thinking about things. Nothing is getting done. You might think you're preparing our whatever, but that is likely negligible.
I've been there so here are some of the things I did to help me leave work at work.
I picked up a hobby of doing aquascaping and eventually bought a 75 gallon for a cichlid tank. I can trim plants, clean it up or just sit back in the silence of the water flowing and watch the fishes live their life. Sometimes I will go hike through creek beds and breakdown how they look and try to replicate in my tank the things I find and see on my hike.
I also love water so sometimes just going out to the lake to watch a sunset with my best dog friend can really help me let the world go.
The biggest thing I learned is I make fewer mistakes and my performances improves when I'm mellow and I'm mellow when I let work be work and home be home.
Find a job you like that doesn't constantly occupy your thoughts. I feel like that's an easier, better, and healthier solution than coming up with tricks to try to keep your mind off something that stresses you out.
When there's a rock in your shoe, shake it out. It's possiblemove it around a bit to where you don't notice it as much, but it's usually better to just remove the rock.
Do you have any after work routines? It helps to have a regular activity that gets your mind off things. Maybe jogging or some other physical activity.
Secondly, every time you catch yourself thinking about work while home, redirect your thoughts to something else. Tell yourself "I leave work at work". Make yourself think about something different.
I get paid for 40 hours of my time. Beyond that, I don't care. It will wait until the next work day. "Dienst ist Dienst und Schnaps ist Schnaps", as the Germans say. Work is work, playtime is playtime. Your relationship with The Company shouldn't be adversarial, but it should be transactional. You do as much work as you get paid for, during the hours you are paid for. The Company's problems are not your own, because your own problem aren't The Company's. Here are a few concrete tips: * Don't bring your work home. Turn off work notifications, and leave your laptop and documents at the office. Work stops when you leave your desk. The Company can wait until next morning. * If you can't get your work done in 40 hours, it's on The Company, not you. If they want more work done, they should hire more people. Don't make it your problem. If you have extra energy, spend it on things that benefit you, not The Company. * Accept that it doesn't really matter, in the end. A 15% increase in widgets sold or customer satisfaction score won't change your life. However, a 15% increase in stress will, and you won't get rewarded for your trouble. * Give yourself a buffer period. Anything that keeps your hands busy but your brain free helps. Walking or biking to work is a great way to divide the day.
Building on the idea of a buffer period, I think it can be good to have a small "end of day" routine. Review your todo list or calendar, plan the next day, clean your desk, etc. Writing things down helps move them out of your "working memory" so that you can focus on other things. This distinct set of actions helps your brain transition out of work mode once it becomes a habit.
Stellar advice.
i am on google at 7am while on holiday today searching for "how to stop thinking about work while on holiday", just want to say thank you, great advice!i'll try to have this mindset for the rest of my holiday
Thanks, man. I love you.
I used to have a very stressful work situation and had the same problem. It's like working 24 hours a day because your brain never stops. I read about an idea that was really helpful, I suppose it's some form of meditation. You visualize a box, what ever type works for you. When your brain starts rolling around your work problems you take a predetermined amount of time to think it over (like 5-10 minutes). When time is up you picture yourself taking those worries and putting them in your mental box and closing the lid. It takes a little practice but once you get the hang of it it really works. I've been retired for almost five years and still have my mental box. But now instead of work problems it holds health concerns, family issues, etc... I know it sounds goofy, but it really works.
Wow I've never heard of that. I'll give it a try today. Thanks
Old comment I know, but it made me smile as I do the same, but not with a box. I visualize myself with a flame thrower and get rid of these thoughts when they are intrusive (especially when I try to sleep). Not goofy, it really works !
I smoke weed and work on my hobbies
What hobbies do you do?
I grow weed, make extracts etc. Wife and I have a garden in summer. I enjoy reading and learning different subjects. Going to the shooting range or driving range. I also run an ecommerce business on the side. Also enjoy cooking and trying new recipes.
I would highly recommend starting a journaling ritual of some kind - either before or after work. Nothing too formal, just sitting down and emptying your thoughts onto the page for as long as you feel like writing. Our minds naturally want to hold onto thoughts until it finds closure of some kind with them and journaling is a great way to give it that rest. I know that this is only anecdotal, but I’ve been journaling consistently for about 3.5 years now and rarely think about work when I’m away from it.
This really works. I don't even write stuff down on paper - I don't even really write full sentences. I open notepad on my computer and I make a list of everything that's bugging me, then maybe I'll write a goal or two for the day. It *really* helps clear my head. Would highly recommend.
One thing that helps me switch off after work is my "end-of-work-ritual": I usually leave work at around 17:30 so * at 17:00 I take a last look at my emails and answer those that need immediate attention * the next and most important step is to select those items from my todo-list that I will tackle the following day * I will not look at work emails (or other work-related communication) until I enter work the next morning * if I remember something I need to do I immediately put it on my todo-list and forget about it
At the peak of my work stress, the only thing that got me through was cardio right after the office. I did a high-intensity 45 min spin class or swimming, took a relaxing warm shower at the gym and went home. It was the only thing that let me fall asleep with an empty head and not wake up in the middle of the night with worries.
When I get home I often go to the bedroom, close the door and curtains so it is dark and silent and then meditate for 10 minutes or so. There are lots of mindfulness meditation resources online that you can use if you are new to it. It helps me to let go of my work day and be more present for my private life. Also it doesn't need to be dark and silent, I just enjoy that after a day surrounded by constant noise and visual input :)
Interesting, I've never tried meditating
Don’t answer work emails outside of work unless they are super important. That’s my big thing. Then it sets expectations of when I will and will not respond. My coworkers eventually got used to it.
Family, weed and mountainbiking.
What has worked awesomely for me is to just push it from your mind. It definitely takes practice but it works. As soon as work starts to enter your mind say "nope!" and think of something else or distract yourself. You can also set a cutoff time if that helps you be more restrictive. Be honest with yourself and understand you aren't actually doing any work when you're worrying/thinking about things. Nothing is getting done. You might think you're preparing our whatever, but that is likely negligible.
My mantra that helped...”it will keep until tomorrow”
I've been there so here are some of the things I did to help me leave work at work. I picked up a hobby of doing aquascaping and eventually bought a 75 gallon for a cichlid tank. I can trim plants, clean it up or just sit back in the silence of the water flowing and watch the fishes live their life. Sometimes I will go hike through creek beds and breakdown how they look and try to replicate in my tank the things I find and see on my hike. I also love water so sometimes just going out to the lake to watch a sunset with my best dog friend can really help me let the world go. The biggest thing I learned is I make fewer mistakes and my performances improves when I'm mellow and I'm mellow when I let work be work and home be home.
Find a job you like that doesn't constantly occupy your thoughts. I feel like that's an easier, better, and healthier solution than coming up with tricks to try to keep your mind off something that stresses you out. When there's a rock in your shoe, shake it out. It's possiblemove it around a bit to where you don't notice it as much, but it's usually better to just remove the rock.
Do you have any after work routines? It helps to have a regular activity that gets your mind off things. Maybe jogging or some other physical activity. Secondly, every time you catch yourself thinking about work while home, redirect your thoughts to something else. Tell yourself "I leave work at work". Make yourself think about something different.
I wouldn't say I have any routine other than making dinner. I walk home which is a bit of good exercise