Episode 387 | Author: Emilie Aries

With the flexibility of working from anywhere, the transition to remote work in the last three years has given professionals the opportunity to live a more balanced life. These new work arrangements allow for more time to take care of personal errands or have lunch with an old friend during the day, however, nobody talks about how challenging it can be to shut the computer off once the workday is over.

The line between work and life outside of work seemed to have blurred as we figured out our virtual workplaces, so if you’re looking to regain some semblance of a work-life balance, I want to share one of my ultimate hacks to create a clear line between your workday and the rest of your life.

The Pros & Cons of Remote Work

The latest research from Pew found that 64% of those who are now working from home - at least some of the time -say that it's easier now for them to balance work with their personal life. 44% say working from home has made it easier for them to get their work done and meet deadlines, while only 10% say it's become harder now.

That being said, there are some noticeable downsides to this trend. The first is increasing isolation. 60% of workers who are now in that situation - working remotely or hybrid - say that they feel less connected to their colleagues and co-workers, and that's more important than we give it credit for.

We all complain about working with our colleagues, but the fact of the matter is relationships matter a lot. Think about the amount of time you spend at work! The quality of your relationships with whomever you're working with, whether it's remotely or otherwise, takes up a huge portion of your life.

The second downside when it comes to this increase in working from home is now that we can work anywhere at any time, there's a growing expectation that we do work anywhere and all the time. Because of this, we've seen our workday creep into the rest of our lives. This is not a new trend.

A Slate study from 2014 found that American workers tend to work later into the evening and more on the weekends than workers in any other nation. While we love the flexibility that comes from working from home, nobody should feel at the beck and call of their workplaces - even though it feels like our workplaces are always in our back pocket via our smartphones and in our email inboxes.

Create a ritual to end your workday.

The key to creating a clear boundary to ending your workday and drawing a line between work and home life, is a ritual that closes out your workday. A transitional ritual signals your brain and body that something is changing and it's time to mentally shift gears.

In an earlier episode, I interviewed author Erica Kreswin, where she shared her biggest lessons learned about making our workplaces more human - and how you can start from the inside out. She wrote a book called Rituals Roadmap. In it she shares how incorporating rituals into your daily life and into the workplace in particular.

Her definition of a ritual as something that goes beyond its practical purpose. She gives a great example of an end-of-day-ritual that includes lighting a candle. Erica says if the lights go out in your office, lighting a candle so you can functionally see what you're doing is not a ritual until you go beyond its practical purpose and make a ritual out of it. For example, you can light a candle to set a tone and signal your brain that it’s time to close the laptop.

The ultimate hack: a 5pm obligation

If you have a hard time putting your pen and paper down or pulling yourself away from your computer, you might have obliger tendencies and there’s something you can do about it: set yourself up for 5pm plans.

I read about the four different types of personality tendencies in Gretchen Ruben’s writing, who I had the pleasure of interviewing on the pod. In her books, Gretchen talks about the four tendencies and she includes her description of a personality type she calls the obliger.

“Obligers meet outer expectations but struggle to meet inner expectations of all the tendencies. Obligers are the biggest group. And the ones whom people count on the most, they put a high value on meeting commitments to others but may have trouble setting limits and meeting their commitments to themselves.”

Does that sound familiar? If you find yourself resonating with this tendency, I have the easiest tip that’s worked for me for years: make it so someone is expecting you somewhere at 5pm!

Whether you join a sports league, sign up for a recurring yoga class, have a standing meetup with a friend, a happy hour, or a video / phone call set up for the end of the day, nothing motivates me to wrap up my day faster than needing to show up for someone I love.

This is doubly important because it solves the isolation concern, too. I’m devouring this new book, The Good Life by Marc Schulz and Robert Waldinger, which makes a strong connection between feeling connected through your relationships and living a healthy, long life.

The ultimate ritual is to make time to invest in your relationships while signaling to your brain and body that the work for the day is done, and it’s time to shift gears. Odds are you’ll leave feeling more rejuvenated than you think, too.

Got a career conundrum you want us to cover on the podcast? Call and leave us a voicemail NOW at 910-668-BOSS(2677).

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