I have struggled this year with maintaining boundaries between work and personal time.  I have heard that many others share this same struggle, as well.  Related to that is the fact that I have lost some of my “transition rituals” that help me to turn off my work brain.

It can be great that our commutes are now within the confines of our homes, but that commute let me wrap up business thoughts and turn to personal thoughts.  Often, I would listen to a book or a podcast.  Or I would create my To-Do list for the next day so I could put those tasks out of my mind and relax.

Another ritual that has shifted is my attire.  When I would get home, I would change into my “comfy” clothes.  It literally served the purpose of putting work away in the closet for the day and resetting my mood for the evening and personal time.  Now, many of us are in our comfy clothes all day long.  Or, we are at least business casual during the day.

So, I am looking for new transitions.  One idea that is helping is organizing my desk at the end of the day.  For the first part of the pandemic, my dining room was my office so I literally would put my computer and papers away and out of sight every night.  It gave me great relief not to have to look at it every evening.  I have since taken over a spare bedroom to serve as my full-time office with a dedicated desk.  Organizing my desk and creating my To-Do list for the next day is helping me to shut off my work brain.

What new transitions have you developed?  If you have some creative ideas, please respond to this message and share them.  I will gather all of the ideas and include them in upcoming newsletters.