How can we disconnect from work to improve our well-being?

A few years ago, without realizing, I found myself having a fantasy: travel to a remote island, without internet connection, phone reception, or even without any screen, possibly! That way, no one could ever reach me and talk to me about work.

While I was likely going through a period of extreme stress and few resources, shutting down your phone or not checking email for a while is likely something you’ve thought about or done, as a worker. The reaction to this is likely something between feeling free and anxious (hopefully more of the first!). These kinds of experiences pushed us to look at the evidence behind disconnecting: is it useful for our well-being, and how can we do it best?

1. Tip 1: Limit working hours

Working long hours hurts our well-being: research studies over several decades indicate that the amount of time spent working is one of the most important factors in developing mental health problems, in particular anxiety and depressive disorders. The effect is even stronger for women, although men suffer from this too.

Thus, that hunch you might have had that working long evenings, checking emails and answering while you’re home, and taking work calls on weekends don’t do any good seems to hold some truth. However, long working hours are encouraged and even expected in so many workplaces worldwide, so maintaining a healthy schedule is no easy task. Some countries and sectors are likely to put less pressure on workers in terms of working hours, but what can you do if you find yourself in an environment where this is the norm?

Recommended is to set clear expectations. You can make it clear to your coworkers that you have activities outside of work: for example, talk about the painting lessons you take in the evening, or the time you spend with your kids every day. This way, you let them know that it’s unlikely you’ll be able to answer a call or complete some work after hours. Then, make sure you stick to what you said and don't work after your hours. The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior, so setting the right expectations is done through what you do.

2. Tip 2: Maintain clear boundaries

Setting clear boundaries between work and the rest of your activities is key not only for keeping working hours to a decent amount, but also for being able to fully focus on whatever it is you are doing at that moment. Blurred boundaries – for example, receiving work emails on your personal phone, creates the so-called “always on” effect which further impacts your well-being. It’s like you are always multitasking between work and other activities, reducing your focus.

Our tip for setting clear boundaries is to keep work communications on your work phone: email, client phone numbers, etc. This way, once you turn it off, you still have your personal phone to use but work is “turned off”. If that’s not possible, you can still turn off notifications for selected apps (i.e. Outlook) on your personal phone when you’re not working – as they say, out of sight, out of mind!

3. Tip 3: Get in control of your email

One of the hardest aspects of work nowadays is communication via emails: workers often feel they are invaded by emails, as if they’ve lost control. More emails incoming means more work tasks and more things to pay attention to so you don’t lose important information – further creating anxiety. Some companies don’t use email at all, but the same applies to other electronic messaging means such as Slack. This perceived invasion negatively affects our well-being.

How do you gain back control of your email? Dedicate a time during your work day to check it. This can be the first thing in the morning, if the emails dictate what you’ll work on, but if that’s not the case, leave the emails for later: if you read them first thing in the morning, it’s likely your thoughts will get distracted by new information and requests, reducing your focus on whatever you had planned for the day.

4. Tip 4: Support each other

Social support is important for workers’ well-being. This can be used also to disconnect from work in a more efficient way. While in some places it is formalized that there always has to be a back-up person for every worker who takes time off, even if it is not you can ask for support for someone to cover you while on holiday. This means bringing up to date a colleague on the issues that might arise and how to deal with them, as well as instructions about when and how to contact you if needed. If this is feasible, it can give you peace of mind and help you disconnect, improving your well-being. Of course, the support can and should be offered in return to colleagues too.

Disconnecting, even a little bit, helps

Nowadays, simply the word “disconnect” might cause anxiety or seem impossible: we’re always on. However, reducing the time we spent online, or connected to work, can already bring improvements in our well-being, presence, and focus. Rather than seeing this as a black-or-white, on-or-off matter, think of small steps you can take to set a bit clearer boundaries, feel a bit more in control, and improve a little bit your well-being.