Time to Disconnect? by TheResumeReview.com

Disconnecting from work is a problem for most. As a group, the working-class takes fewer holidays, sleeps less, and generally feels like there's not a lot of choice but to often be on-the-clock.

Even if you can’t get away for a full-blown holiday, there are still plenty of ways to draw healthy boundaries between your work life and your life life. Check out these recommendations below for truly disconnecting from work.

That’s right: we’re challenging you to try this for a whole week. Here are the rules:

• No personal texts. Calls only, and keep them brief!
• No TV. (Radio is acceptable. We’re not monsters.) 
• No social media. 
• Embrace your device-free-ish lifestyle and try the ultimate analog act: read a book.

While you move along in your analog week, chart your productivity. Are you more focused? More satisfied with your work? Keep a journal (paper) of your progress. If you’re not singing the praises of your device-free-ish life just a tiny bit by the end of the week, we’ll be amazed. 

Our workdays get consumed by other people needing things from us - - all the things, all the time. Clients, employees, team mates. The list may feel never-ending. But just because the asks happen around-the-clock doesn’t mean you always have to answer them. Know which hours you’re most productive, and use them. 

If you’re one of those “I do my best work at 5AM types,” then start your day at 5AM. But be sure to resist the urge to let 5AM stretch into 9, 10, 11PM. Leave your work at work when you get home, and don’t touch it again for the day. Morning is coming, and with it, your best work. So relax, go to sleep, unwind. 

Also make weekends a work-free zone. 

Put down the phone, freeze the laptop, lose your office keys. Your weekend is your weekend. Use it to recharge. 

Studies have shown that people with hobbies live longer, happier, more balanced lives. So pick up a garden hoe, get a dog - and walk it, a basket of yarn, a tennis racket, or a pile of puzzles, and let your imagination wander. 

When was the last time you just walked around without a plan? It’s time to start learning to love the power of a good walk. Walks recharge our minds, give us space from the immediate needs of the day, and have been great for Apple Watch sales. Take this time to listen to a podcast a friend recommended, or maybe don’t. The important decision has already been made. Now just don’t step on any cracks!