Today’s Quick Query is from Francis.
Francis writes,
Hi Savannah,
First of all, I wanted to thank you. I have been following you for a while and appreciate your words of wisdom.
I am writing to you because I am a workaholic. I do love what I do, but I work from the moment my eyes open to just before I fall asleep. My work is online, and I just can’t seem to unplug. Are there any tips or advice you can offer me on how to create some sparkling habits around my work and downtime?
Thank you,
Francis
Francis, what a juicy question – I love it! Working online can be consuming – I hear you, beautiful. And, unfortunately, this is becoming more of a common issue, especially with more people working from home these days. And as someone who works online from home, I’ve had to establish ways to separate my work time from my downtime. And without making a clear division between working hours and personal time, you’re on a road to burnout – and then you’ll be of no use to anyone! So, Francis, here are three tricks to help you say bye-bye to being a workaholic.
1. It may seem counter-intuitive, but try taking a longer lunch break. When you work from home, it’s easy to forget to step away from the laptop and take time to regroup. This is a habit to break, for sure. And there is proof to show that a longer lunch break can actually boost your productivity!
Josh Davis, author of Two Awesome Hours: Science-Based Strategies to Harness Your Best Time and Get Your Most Important Work Done (gosh, how’s that for a title?!) and director of research at the NeuroLeadership Institute, says, ‘Many of us feel guilty, like we aren’t doing enough, but the idea that we need to work more hours is based on a model that doesn’t fit us.’
Unlike your computer, which keeps whirring away no matter how long it’s switched on, your brain needs downtime. You do your best work in short bursts of productivity, with proper rest in between. If you work straight through your day with no time to recharge, you fail to give your brain time to refresh itself, and your creativity and ability to work effectively will plummet. Meaning the work you’re forcing yourself to do is probably nowhere near as good as it could be if you gave yourself a chance to reset.
On your new two-hour lunch break, try reading a book or having lunch with a friend. Or do some light exercise – I’m a big fan of dancing or doing a headstand to get the blood flowing.
Benjamin Franklin was a fan of the two-hour lunch break and would plan his work days around it. And in Europe, notably in France and Spain, a long lunch break is a standard part of the day. So, if it’s good enough for Ben Franklin, the French, and the Spanish, surely it’s worth giving it a try!
2. Make sure you have a clear distinction between your working space and the rest of your home. Ideally, you want to have an office, or a desk, at the very least, to use as your designated work area. When you’re here, you work. When you finish work, you leave the space and enjoy your downtime.
If your home is on the more cosy side and you’re unable to designate a room or desk as your working space, get creative. One of my team, who lives in a tiny house, works from her sofa, but she sits at one end while she’s working and then uses the other end of the sofa when she’s relaxing. Make sure whatever you do to avoid working in bed where possible, as your bed should be a place of rest (or sexytime), without any work vibes attached to it.
3. Another way to draw a clear line between working hours and downtime is to get dressed as if you were going to work. When you work from home, it can be tempting to roll out of bed and start working whilst you’re still in your pyjamas – and while this sounds rather nice, it can muddle the lines between resting time and working time. Your brain gets confused without some sort of signal letting it know what it’s meant to be doing.
Even if you just shower and put on clean, comfy clothes rather than putting on a suit, this act of getting ready for the day lets your brain know you’re moving into work mode. And when you finish work, do something to mark the end of the workday, like a quick restorative yoga session, changing into different clothes if you’re going out or pyjamas if you’re staying in, or even just having a nice cuppa tea and picking up that book you were reading on your lunch break. Having clear divisions between working time and downtime creates a sense of routine, which lets your brain know, ‘We’re done working now,’ which will allow your nervous system to relax.
When you work from home, it’s so important to create sparkling habits like these that will allow you to be productive and creative when it’s time to work and to be able to settle into your downtime once work is done for the day.
Francis, there’s an additional aspect I’d like to introduce here – the physical impact of non-stop work on your body. The constant stress and tension that comes from being a work-aholic could also be affecting your physical wellbeing, as your body tends to ‘hold’ the stress in the form of muscle tension. This is especially true for those working long hours in front of screens, where we typically hold tension in our shoulders, neck, back, hips, hamstring and ankles! Basically everywhere.
Part of establishing sparkling habits to separate work and downtime should involve focusing on releasing this physical tension. This can be achieved through bodywork targeting the fascia – the connective tissue that encapsulates our muscles and organs. Over time, continuous stress can cause the fascia to become rigid and ‘stuck’, leading to physical discomfort and further amplifying feelings of stress and burnout.
Incorporating regular fascia release through bodywork into your routine can help alleviate physical stress symptoms, improve mobility, and further signal to your brain that it’s time to switch off from work mode. It’s like telling your body and mind, ‘We’re done working now, let’s relax and recharge’.
The fascia follows specific pathways. To release certain knots or tensions, it’s often effective to begin at one point and progress either up or down these pathways. Interestingly, many areas in the body are linked to the face. By initiating facial balancing techniques, you may experience relief throughout your body. Alternatively, working from the body upwards can also be beneficial. By releasing tension in specific areas in your body, you may find relief in your face and head.
So, while structuring your work time and breaks, consider making room for some simple bodywork techniques. It can be as straightforward as a few stretches or using a foam roller, both of which can have a significant impact on your overall wellbeing and productivity. If you’re interested in exploring this further, feel free to comment below, and I’d be more than happy to guide you.
Francis, that is my answer to your Quick Query. I hope it has helped! Please let me know how you get on!
Now, I’d love to hear from you, our community. What keeps you productive? How do you recharge over your lunch? If you work from home, how do you keep your work time and downtime separate? Please tell me in the comments below.
As always, I remain a cheerleader for your inner self-worth,
