How to shut off from work
One of the biggest difficulties people have with remote work is maintaining their work-life balance. With colleagues in different time zones and no office to punch in and out of, it’s common to feel guilty and end up overworking;
"There is always more to do, and when you work remotely, there is no one to tell you to go home or that the office is closing, so it has to be YOU who decides when to stop. You have to decide that the rest of your life is worth making space for, and not let work take over that time" - Kate Stull
It is always easier said than done, but below are some tips that have helped other remote workers be more deliberate about their work
Communication
Calendar
- Use your calendar to communicate when you are not working
- Using the ‘Out of Office’ function will automatically decline any meetings scheduled in these times
- In action
- Set working hours in your Google Calendar settings so people get alerted if they try and book out of those times
Messaging
- Within your team, consider adopting a hierarchy of communication e.g. Call/WhatsApp if something is urgent/needs immediate action, Aula for something that can wait until tomorrow
- If messages can wait until the next working day start them with ‘NON-URGENT’
- Communicate to your team when you decide to stop work as a way of allowing yourself to disconnect fully e.g. ‘I’m off, have a good evening’
Notifications
- Adjust your notifications to your work time by:
- Using Apple’s Do Not Disturb mode (on both computer and phone)
- Using Apple’s Downtime feature to schedule when certain apps are available
- Manually turning off notifications for work-related apps outside your working hours