How to switch off when you clock off

It’s great to be dedicated to your job, but doing your best work starts with getting enough downtime.

For all its benefits, the work-from-anywhere revolution does complicate everything we’ve learned about leaving work at, well, work. Whether you’re telecommuting all the time, sometimes (or not at all), these tried and tested tips will help you distance yourself from unfinished business long after the last video call.

Commit to a time to clock off – especially if you’re working from home. Don’t get us wrong, no commute is great, but when you don’t have a train to catch it’s easy to linger at the laptop to finish off this or that. This only fuels the struggle to switch off, resulting in irregular working hours that creep into your personal time.

Find out how Optus Pause can help you control your time online and offline.

Going ‘home’ starts at work. Dedicate the last hour of the day to sorting out tomorrow and either finalise or plan all the urgent things on your to-do list. Our brains are wired to rebel against unfinished business, but it’s much easier to relax if there’s a plan in place.

If the work-from-home playbook tells us we should be getting dressed as if we’re still going to the office every morning, then the reverse is true at quitting time. Whether it’s activewear or your comfiest pjs, a quick costume change will help you shift into ‘me time.’

If you spend your days in your head, finish it by getting into your body. Twenty to thirty minutes of moderate to hard aerobic exercise such as a walk, ride or run resets your body's stress levels and prepares you to relax. It needs to be vigorous enough to get you breathing hard if you want to generate feel-good hormones that will make you sleep like a baby. So, strap on your shoes, fire up a playlist, and hit the pavement or gym.

You don't have to be a cave-dwelling Buddhist monk or yogi to find a little peace. Just learning to be truly present in the moment can work miracles. The benefits include stress relief, increased creativity, and emotional calmness. It comes down to what you pay attention to. You might not be able to stop your mind whirring, but you can choose how much attention you give it. By learning to focus on what’s happening here and now you can rediscover the wonder that children feel all day long. Once, we didn’t know any different either. Try to get back to that.

Take the time to listen to music that you find soothing, or consider a relaxation track. Even just 10 minutes can induce a sense of calm in mind and body. Surely the television, your family and the dog can survive without you for a short period of time. The latter two will also be thankful when you turn up sane and happy.

Numerous studies have linked journalling to better mental wellness. Not only is writing (or sketching) a great way to empty your mind, it helps you organise your thoughts, regulate emotions, improve memory, and inspire ideas and solutions. Try a journalling app if you prefer to keep it digital.

Most of us experience stress because we expect too much of ourselves. If you set a realistic goal and achieve it, you go home feeling like King Kong who just climbed the Empire State. If you set unachievable goals, you go home feeling like sidewalk slime after being shot down. So be realistic about the expectations you set for yourself and practice a bit of self-love and compassion if you come up short.

Find the right balance with  Optus Pause. Simple to manage in My Optus app, you can control your screen time and eliminate distractions by pausing connectivity across your devices.