Mary Jane Dykeman and I often discuss this topic…
“I know you’re lying if you say that that’s not true! Even if you didn’t work the whole vacation, you might be sneaking off, ‘Oh I need to use the washroom” or “I need to duck out for a moment.’ And there you are on your device, checking back to make sure the universe is going to continue without you.” (Mary Jane)
The truth is that the world does and should go on without you. If you don’t learn to have a little fun, you won’t be able to be the attorney you want to be. So how do you get some of that back into your life? Rather than beat yourself up reading articles about how you shouldn’t work when you are on vacation, focus instead on what you can do about it.
Did you know that your smartphone has built-in features and functions that can remind you to stop working? Here are a few to consider:
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#1 Disable Notifications Stop getting email or other work notifications while on vacation. This keeps you from feeling like you are missing out on something important going on. If you don’t know there is an email sitting in the inbox, then you won’t feel the need to sneak a peak at what it says.
Result: You only see emails during your one hour a day,
leaving the rest of the day free for relaxation.
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#2 Timers While on vacation, allow yourself just one hour a day to get done what absolutely must be done. When you have just one hour, you will focus your time on the most essential items rather than getting bogged down in every little thing that is going on at the office. (Parental Control Apps work great for this also!)
Result: Spending no more than one hour on work-related things for the office
each day rather than spending hours before you know what happened.
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#3 Bury Your Work Apps If you have specific work-related apps on your phone, hide them. Seeing your documents folder every time you check the time will only bring work back into your current reality. If that app is hidden, you can focus on the fun and relaxation that is supposed to be part of your vacation.
Result: You won’t be tempted to open a work program to do just one little thing,
finding yourself there several hours later doing just one more little thing.
Even if you aren’t on a full vacation and are just taking time away from the office for an afternoon, you can use these tech timeout tips. Doing so will help you bring some fun back into your life!
