You should be working!

3 Minute Read -

You should be working! This is a voice many of us struggle with on weekends, public holidays (like those coming up in a few days), vacations and other times when we really deserve and ought to take a break. This can be a particularly loud voice for those who are able to work remotely and those who have flexible work arrangements which allow them to ‘choose’ how and when they want to work. For many, the additional phenomenon of work intensification makes it even more challenging to see the boundaries between work time and rest time.

Under these circumstances, it can be difficult to justify a day of deserving rest. This is certainly not only something academics struggle with, but also students, postdocs, and others who work in jobs which allow them to ‘take their work home’. But you should and can take a break! ‘How’, you might be wondering. In this post, I am going to provide you with a five tips and tricks you can use to take that much deserved break.

Shut down your computer

If you’re like me, you hardly ever shut down your computer. It’s so convenient to open your laptop and start where you left off yesterday, but not if today is Monday and yesterday was Sunday! Shutting down your computer signals that you are actually putting your work AWAY, not leaving it half open in case you want to slip in an email or two over the weekend.

To shut down your computer, you would actually need to close all your browser tabs (so you won’t lose your info) and all the applications you have been using. Making notes of items which are in progress and when you will be getting to them in the future may help with this process. That way you do not miss anything that you may have in progress, that will likely bug you while you should be resting.

Lay off the phone emails

The worst thing I could have done over the last few years was loading my work email account onto my phone. The amount of times I open this mailbox in a day is actually quite disturbing. These days my personal mailbox is just as problematic! I remember loading these to allow the calendar on my phone to sync with the accompanying mailboxes, but if I’m being honest, I believe there is a way to make the calendars sync without allowing the actual emails to sync. I just need to figure it out again. If you are in a position to delete those apps (Gmail, Outlook etc.) from your phone – even if just for the weekend – go for it! You probably will miss something, but nothing that can’t wait until you get back to work.

Use an out of office message

One of the many reasons I tend to check my emails multiple times a day is that I am worried I may miss something important, that will require a quick response. One way to get around this is to manage people’s expectations. If people get a message informing them that you are not attending to your emails (until a specific date – this part is very important and often missing from out of office messages), they will know not to expect a response in the stipulated time. If it is urgent, those who have your number can call. If it’s an emergency, they really should be calling an ambulance, not you!

Do this on your personal email address as well!

Out of office messages are often popular with work emails but not personal emails. While there may be nothing harmless in that mailbox, setting up an on an out of office message for your personal email can do similar wonders!

Read for leisure

Okay, so now you have managed all external expectations, but what about that voice in your head telling you, ‘you should be reading an article at the least, you can’t spend the whole weekend on a Netflix binge!’ If you MUST read, try grab a fiction book. When last did you read for fun? Now is a good time to remind yourself what that feels like!

Enjoy the weekend! There’s a reason why they call it ‘the holidays’!!