Ask HN: Tricks to disconnect from work while on vacation Lately, I'm finding it particularly difficult to disconnect from work. I've tried deleting work apps from my phone, but I still find myself reinstalling them to check something. It's particularly annoying since I really want to disconnect and rest. What are your best tricks? Do you have any particular routine during holidays that allows you to completely forget about work? |
Might I suggest something my therapist recommended for anxiety, but which I think might help here as well? Put a rubber band around your wrist. Whenever you catch yourself about to re-install a work app, or even thinking about checking something work related, snap that rubber band as hard as you can to remind yourself not to. Do that until it's second-nature and you'll be stopping yourself before you realize you're about to do it.
Op writes:
> I've tried deleting work apps from my phone, but I still find myself reinstalling them to check something. > It's particularly annoying since I really want to disconnect and rest.
"check something"? what is that something? Can it be found outside of your work apps?
When I check my work apps, I'm looking for stimulation, the feeling of being productive, etc. Once I find something that needs attention it's difficult for me to let go.
My strategy is, whenever I'm bored and want to check my email, is to notice that I'm bored (or whatever I'm feeling at the time) and redirect that feeling/energy elsewhere. Family, hobbies, vacation. To make sure that work doesn't capture me, I disable all work related notifications (when not working).
Next time you check your work stuff outside of work time really pay attention to your internal state to see what's causing you do it, even though you say you don't wan to.
I would suggest you start being stricter about work communication in general. Get work off your personal devices. I use an old phone as a secondary work only phone. Set some boundaries with this. Maybe don't take it out of your office at night. Or don't look at it after 7pm.
If you're anything like me, it probably takes you 3-5 days of vacation to fully unplug from work and relax. Imagine if you could relax this care free at the end of every day? This is what I'm talking about working towards.
I leave my phone alone as much as possible. Leave it plugged in when I go outside. Leave it in my bedroom. Forget about charging it and let it die. Use the built in Wigital Wellbeing app and set your times to smaller and smaller chunks. I assume there's something similar on the iPhone if that's what you're using.
"But what about important calls? Won't I miss them?"
Sure. Are you a doctor? Another kind of medical professional? Forgetaboutit.
Most of all... DON'T WORK UNLESS YOU'RE GETTING PAID.
You wanna unplug? Unplug.
This has always worked for me. I setup a catchup meeting with the team member who covered for me and a separate meeting with my manager to get up to speed.
This has always worked for me.
And return the favor when it is your colleague's turn for the vacation.
What's the net worth of the CEO of the company you work for? Do you think the CEO worries about you on the weekends? Why are you worried about his company?
Sounds like you are more interested in your work than whatever you do on your vacations. That's fine. It happens.
I mute company chat app when I go on PTO and tell teammates to call me if there is an emergency. They have my number.
I don't look at the work phone until PagerDuty goes off. If I don't look in 15 it escalates to my personal.
No email. Jira. Slack. Teams on my personal.
Edit: on vacation I power down both work devices and take them with me