Switching off off

As we head off to a long weekend here in the UK, I was reminded by a newsletter I wrote last year about the power of truly unplugging and reclaiming our down time.

It's apt now as it always will be as long as we have holidays and Smart Phones.

Maybe it'll inspire you to do it differently this weekend?

Here it is:

So, last week I went on holiday to Lisbon to chill out and switch off.

And I switched off off.

Which isn't a typo.

It's a play on the expression 'going out out' which was coined by the comedian Micky Flanagan to differentiate between two different types of going out.

Going out is popping out with your friends for a drink.

Going out out - is slapping on the night time makeup, climbing onto heels and letting the night take you where it takes you.

Here's the 2 minute video of him sketch.

Now what do I mean by switch off off?

Switching off

Normally when I go on holiday, I put my 'out of office' on and make sure I don't do any work, such as replying to emails, whilst I'm out there.

However, I haven't been switching off fully.

I've been keeping an eye on my emails just to "make sure I don't miss anything important".

What an oversight.

I tell myself I'm not working, but let's be real - I am.

That quick glance at your emails when your partner has gone to the loo takes you out of carefree holiday mode, and puts you into work mode.

Just because the phone goes back in the bag, doesn't mean your brain is back in holiday mode.

Far from it.

Your mind, activated by a problem or request, is busy coming up with solutions.

And before you know it - BOOM.

You may as well be back in the office.

Switching off off

This time was different.

I wanted to fully unplug.

So I switched off ALL notifications from my phone - gmail, outlook, Instagram, FB, the lot.

And oh my god did I feel the difference.

No notifications meant I didn't reach, or in fact, want to reach for my phone in moments of idleness (I knew if I took my phone out it wouldn't have notifications and therefore there wouldn't be any instant gratification).

Instead, my dopamine hit was people watching, cooing at the beautiful Lisbon tiles and indulging in my 4th pasteis de nata of the day.

No notifications meant I was allowed to just be.

Those pesky phones

By now, we all know about the addictive nature of the phone and the harmful effects it has on our dopamine levels, our ability to be present and on our focus.

But when do we actually do anything about it?

And do we have to wait to go on holiday to do it or can we start introducing a mini holiday every weekend and do the 1 minute task of switching off our email notifications?

Working from home

Coming back from holiday I had a timely email.

It was Buffer's 'State of remote work' Report 2023 (which you can read here)

The report shares results from its annual questionnaire on how everyone is finding remote work.

Needless to say, the majority of people are enjoying remote work.

68% said they were having a very positive experience and only 1% said they were having a slightly negative experience (whilst 0% voted for negative).

The perks are solid and make a strong case for continuing WFH:

• Flexibility in how you spend your time
• Flexibility to live wherever you choose
• More time due to no commute
• Better financially
• Able to focus better

The drawbacks?

Less work/ life boundaries is one of the biggest things people struggle with.

81% claim to check work emails outside of work hours

Of which, 63% do so on weekends and 34% do so on vacations too.

This has a knock on effect on the ability to unplug in downtime and to stay motivated in work time.

The good news

The good news is that it's all within your control.

You have the option of not checking your emails if you choose to.

It took me a while to move from knowing this to actually taking steps to making it happen, but I got there.

And isn't that always the way?

It's not that we lack information, it's that we don't implement it.

This is where coaching helps

Most of the time, you know what you need to do.

It may be - change jobs, move countries, update your portfolio, apply for that saved job etc.

But you don't do it.

Not because you're lazy or unmotivated.

But because you don't have a plan of action and there's no accountability.

No one will truly care if you haven't done it.

Apart from you that is.

The other reason you may not have done something is unacknowledged fears.

They're there lurking, blocking you from moving forwards, but you haven't spotted them yet to deal with them.

Let's change that shall we?

It all starts with a small step in the right direction.

Book a free Breakthrough call with me and we can come up with a simple, do-able game plan for that thing you know you need to do.

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