4 Tips To Disconnect From Work

Hi! I’m Steph Johnston, a Certified Health + Life Coach, host of the Stepping to The Edge podcast and leader with over 25 years of experience. I'm also a mom, a wife, a recovering perfectionist and a woman who found herself 3 years ago in the depths of burnout. I believe in living an "AND MORE" life. I believe that if we are aligned with the work we are doing, we have the capacity for more. I support clients desiring to live a life of more health, happiness and fulfillment. In this and future editions of this newsletter, I'll be sharing impactful tips + strategies to support you in creating a career + life you love. Let's dig in....

Today’s first edition is inspired by a recent vacation I took from my corporate job. It was more of a staycation. As I prepared for and lived this experience, I was struck by how far I have come. Years ago, when I took vacation time, I always tried to go away. To get away. But even though we would book amazing vacations to the beach or the cottage, I always took my laptop with me. I always checked in. I would get up early and do work sitting on the balcony of our condo overlooking the beach and respond to emails and I justified that to myself because I was so grateful for the change in scenery. But I never fully disconnected.

Suffice it to say, it’s taken a lot of personal reprioritization to acknowledge that if you can’t fully disconnect it’s not a vacation. Whether you go away or stay home. Learning to set healthy boundaries that allow me to embrace all that I desire for my life is key to holding all that I desire. Being able to step away is important to refuelling my heart, my soul and my creativity so that I can show up fully in all aspects of my life and businesses.

With that in mind, today I would like to share a few tips on how to disconnect if you are working a corporate job.

1.???Set yourself up for success – in the week or weeks approaching your vacation, create the conditions for success while you’re away. One of the things I always worried about when I would take time away, is what if something comes up and they don’t know what to do? First, acknowledge that while I am sure you play a key role in your organization, others can also successfully make decisions and take action when needed. Identify someone on your team that can step in as a proxy for you. Someone you trust. Have a conversation with them. Ask for their support. This may be a peer or someone who reports to you that is ready for an opportunity to grow and shine. Let them know you trust their decisions and ensure they know where to find the resources they may need while you’re away. Do they know whom to contact for support – that’s not you!

2.???Set your out of the office. This may seem basic but I want to be clear here. What I am not suggesting is you set your out-of-office with something that sounds like “I’m out of the office right now and email responses may be delayed. For urgent matters please call XXXX.” You need to be clear with those trying to reach you. This is your chance to set a healthy boundary. Email responses will be delayed. It’s a slight word change that sets a very different expectation with those contacting you. And don’t leave your # for urgent calls. Urgency is subjective. The last thing you want while you’re sipping a pina colada on the beach is a call or text that tells you someone has quit. That’s bad but honestly, from the beach, what can you do about that except spin? Instead, offer the email of your proxy as your out-of-office contact. Remember you selected them because you trust their decision-making ability. Hold them able.

3.???Turn off your notifications. If you have your company email or communication apps on your phone, turn off the notifications. Those little notifications that pop up on your phone – especially the ones that offer a message preview can be distracting and if you’re anything like me, when you see one it can be hard to not check it. This is your solution. Disable the notifications. I promise, if you have never done this, it will be one of the most liberating things you do as you head out on vacation.?

4.???Book your next vacation the day you get back from this one. Having a vacation to look forward to can help to ease the transition back to work and also encourages you to take your allotted vacation time. Do you know how many people I have spoken with who share they have weeks of banked vacation they haven’t taken? Do you know how many companies no longer allow you to carry over your vacation? Friend! Do not allow this time to slip away. You don’t have to have the trip of a lifetime planned. You can simply take time off to be at home. Rest. Complete a few projects you’ve been wanting to find the time for. Enjoy long lunches with friends or full days watching Netflix. Whatever you choose, I encourage you to do it! Taking time to recharge our batteries is critical to our physical + mental health and supports us in our ability to show up fully for the people we love and for our work.

There you have it, my friend. My 4 ways to disconnect from your work. To review, I’m inviting you to…

1.???Set yourself up for success with a proxy. Step in to trust.

2.???Set clear boundaries in your out-of-office.

3.???Turn off those pesky notifications.

4.???Book your next vacation the day you return to work.

Now a quick word to my fellow entrepreneurs following along, this can be a triggering topic as often, we are afraid if we take our foot off the gas for even a moment, our business will stall. It’s time to shift our perspective. It’s time to acknowledge that time away from our work, allows us the space to refuel, be creative, have fun and recharge. When this happens, we show up fully and with more impact.?

So… I’d love to hear from you. What other practices do you have to disconnect from your work for a vacation? Let me know what practice you leverage that supports you in disconnecting from your work.

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