Bart's Blog

Are you always “on”? You may leave the office, but your phone continues to buzz with work emails, texts and calls. Drawing the line between work and home can often be a challenge. As more and more people rely on smartphones for business and personal use, your office stays in your pocket even after you leave the office. Especially with the recession, people are working harder and wanting to be even more responsive to your boss or client. However, working longer isn’t always working smarter. Allowing your phone to keep you working late into the evenings can hurt your health, your relationships, and ultimately your effectiveness. With the holidays and their bevy of social functions approaching, take some time to power off and better separate your work from your play.

Set aside time to work after hours.
Your inbox can pile up quite a bit between the time you arrive home and head for bed. Spending some time sorting through those messages can help get your next day off to an easier start, but constantly checking your email usually isn’t necessary. Set aside a set time each night to go over work messages, but try to keep it brief. Remember, your brain needs a break so you can be your best in the morning.

Turn it off.
Turn your phone off (or on silent) for a little while each night to really focus on some other activities you enjoy: reading, talking to your spouse, playing with your kids, exercising. Give yourself wholly to these activities and don’t even give work a chance to interrupt.

Completely unplug.
Everyone needs some time away with no emails, no Internet, no phone, no nothing. When you can, unplug for a day or a weekend to really recharge.

Delegate.
Do you really have to be available 24/7? Maybe it’s time you delegate some more of your responsibilities. Find someone you can trust and pass some of your after-hour tasks on to them.

Work is an important part of our lives. It can give us purpose, means and exciting challenges. But there comes a time when we all need to power off. As people increasingly share devices between work and home, drawing the line between these two worlds can be difficult, but it’s necessary. How do you take a break and separate your work and home life?

P.S. Mashable has some interesting stats on checking work emails over the holidays.

image: Procsilas Moscas