Separate Your Work from Your Home — with Music

Is your home life merging with your work life? Often, absent a commute or physical separation of your workspace and your living space, the workday streams on endlessly, flowing into your home life.

And, my dear friends, this social-distancing and working from home is a marathon. We cannot sprint marathons. You must find ways to pace yourself.

Solution: Replace your commute with music. By using the same methods used with Pavlov’s dogs, you can condition yourself to begin and end your workday.

If you have a streaming service, you will want to set up two playlists. Or you can use old-fashioned CDs, even vinyl would work. Any method that allows you to pick and choose your music will be fine.

Morning Commute Playlist. In the morning, as you get your first cup of coffee and review the morning’s news, turn on your morning commute playlist. My morning commute (in Spotify) playlist has three upbeat songs that get my head into the pace for the day.

Going Home Playlist. At the end of the day, as you review your tasks and calendar for tomorrow, listen to your going home playlist. My going home songs all have home-bound themes. You might also pick a song that you enjoy dancing to. Get up! And shake out your day. If you take out your earbuds and crank up your speakers, your whole family can enjoy the signal that you are well and truly available for them.

Conditioning yourself will only take a few days. Before the week is over, you’ll be able to “go home” at the end of your workday.

Originially published on my blog at www.dianeboettcher.com/blog