Unplugging from work, whether for an evening or a weekend or a weeklong vacation, is so important. An exhausted mind and body needs time to relax and gather strength for tomorrow.
I’ve always had a tough time shutting work off, although I’m much better at it now than I was a few years ago. Sometimes I’ll check my email incessantly for no good reason, drawing myself back in. Or I’ll get my head wrapped up in one of the many problems I need to resolve but can’t do anything about until the next workday starts.
It’s no surprise I’ve struggled to find balance as an adult.
So I’m writing this post for myself! Because life is short, and if I spend too much time tethered to work I’ll miss what’s most important.
And here’s the kicker: I now fully believe that unplugging is productive. It creates the mental space for me to do my best work. In other words, if I don’t unplug, I’m less effective. I bring less energy and creativity to the office, and that’s no good for anybody.
But before we go further, what do I mean by unplug?
It’s not complicated. Unplugging means not engaging with work unless you’re engaged first. So I won’t check my email. I won’t make work phone calls or text anyone to check in. If I get a call or a text I’ll only respond if it can’t wait until I’m back. I won’t do any work or talk about work. I won’t even think about work if possible.
When I unplug I focus on my loved ones and what I enjoy. That’s what life is about.
Many people work hard their entire lives so that they can relax and have fun when they get older. But then something happens. Maybe they lose their good health or a family member requires their full time care. God forbid they pass away.
It’s so important to do the things now that will bring you and your family joy. You might not have the opportunity in the future.
When you unplug you recharge your physical and spiritual energy. When you’re rested and healthy you give much more to the world than when you’re overworked, when you’re not fully present, when you don’t have a positive attitude.
It’s like running a race. You can only go so far so fast. At a certain point you run out of gas and can’t keep going until you rest and recover. If you’re sprinting you’ll only last seconds or minutes. If you’re jogging you might be able to go a few hours at most. Either way, if you give it your all then you exhaust yourself. You need a break before you can go further.
The same is true with work. Once you’ve spent your energy there’s no point sitting at your desk any longer. Time is better spent unplugging and then getting back at it later on.
Unplugging also gives me the opportunity to get some distance and look at things with fresh eyes. Am I approaching my work the right way? What’s most important and what should I be focusing on? Answers to questions like these magically appear when my mind is detached from work.
I recognize that work is essential to our lives. It’s the means by which we put food on the table. It gives us purpose. Through work we make our most significant contributions to society.
But work is not all there is to life, and if happiness comes by finding balance, then we all need to be weary of tilting too strongly in the direction of work.
Don’t get me wrong, I think that working hard is a beautiful thing. I’ve always worked extremely hard. But the point here is that I’ve overdone it. I’ve burnt myself out several times. I’ve often been guilty of not stopping to smell the roses.
I’ve also tried my hardest to unplug but couldn’t because work needed me and tracked me down. On more than a few vacations I’ve been hit with full on crises that required my undivided attention. When I’ve started up businesses it was often impossible to get away for any length of time. Unplugging isn’t always an option and that’s just how it is.
I salute the folks that work all hours and never unplug. They tend to make wonderful and exciting things happen that benefit humanity. In fact, I wanted to be one of these people for most of my life. I wanted to fully commit to my passions and be wonderfully accomplished. For this reason I spent many years chained to my desk, working long hours and evenings and weekends. I wouldn’t use my vacation days and saw this as a badge of honor.
But then I realized that’s not what I want anymore.
It’s interesting that as I get older it seems that the way I’m viewed by others, especially those outside my circle of loved ones, is more and more defined by my work. But to me it’s the opposite. As time goes by my thoughts and feelings focus more and more on my kids, my wife, my friends and my family. To me, work has become a smaller and smaller part of who I am.
What I want now is more time to unplug and just be.