How to Keep Your Mind Off Work

Some work is tedious and unpleasant. But I suspect that for many people reading this newsletter, that is not the case. Work means thinking about interesting problems alongside clever colleagues. The upside is that you often want to think about these work problems.?

But…probably not 24-7. This led to a recent question from a reader: How do you turn your brain off??

This reader had an intellectually stimulating job, which is very much a good thing. However, she did want to relax and take a brain break from time to time. So she wanted to know my suggestions.

I know that many people find it helpful to create rituals that indicate when it is work time and not-work time. A playlist could announce the workday’s beginning and a different one could announce its end. I learned recently of someone who lit scented candles as a way to shift mindsets. Once that orange blossom scent starts, you are officially in relaxation mode. Train your brain and eventually the scent will always clear things out.?

However, while rituals help with setting work day boundaries, they don’t necessarily ward off those mid-day Saturday work problem rabbit holes. The truth is that work challenges abhor a vacuum. If you’re puttering around, you’re probably going to think about work because that’s the most interesting thing your brain can seize on. So you need to give your brain something else to do.?

This brings us back to one of my favorite topics: effortful fun. Leisure activities that require at least a little mental energy will crowd out work worries. If you’re reading an exciting novel, you’re not going to be thinking about Monday’s presentation. Same for trail running with a friend, practicing with your softball team, or learning a tricky piano piece. Build a ship in a bottle. Figure out how to fit all 150 pieces of blue sky together in that 1000-piece puzzle. The idea is to give yourself something else to ruminate about.?

I’ve found that this crowding-out phenomenon is one side effect of having small children. Yes, they make it hard to relax during the evenings or on weekends. They do also make it quite challenging to think about work during the hours when you are responsible for preventing any mishaps. It’s frustrating if you have something professional you want to deal with. It can be helpful if you really do need to switch gears.?

In any case, if you don’t have small kids or plans to borrow them during your off-hours, then you need to give your brain something else to do. Substitute leisure-time problem solving for work problem solving, though, and your brain will happily play along.

This article originally appeared in an email to my newsletter subscribers. You can sign up at https://lauravanderkam.com/contact/.