A critical component in maintaining psychological well-being and recovering properly for a new day is effective detachment from work. New research from Brendon Smit, and reported in BPS Research Digest identify (Read it here), the number one way you can effectively detach from work.
Detachment is important so that work does not totally invade our lives and thoughts, imposing on family and personal time that is important in our recharging and recovery process. Without effective “down-time” our productivity declines and effectiveness is reduced.
Surveying a number of professionals and testing a variety of methods, Smit identifies the key factor is to spend a few moments at the end of each day creating a simple list of incomplete goals and a few actions steps to tackle each one in the new day. This process effectively ‘closes the loop’ on these items and allows your subconscious to leave them alone. This simple yet effective strategy was demonstrated by Smit to help participants put their work issues out of their minds and effectively detach from work. It seems our minds carry around any “open loops” and continually attempt to find solutions and develop plans for them, never giving the subconscious the rest it needs.
So if you want to detach from work and increase your productivity and effectiveness, take a few moments at the end of each day to ‘close the loop’ and leave it all behind.
The Avondale Business School can advise your organisation on being effective in these areas – find out how by contacting Warrick Long at the Avondale Business School.
P: 02 4980 2168