Leaving Work at Work
Leaving Work at Work
Returning to the 9 to 5 days of yore
With most work happening on our computers and a primarily “work from home” culture due to Covid-19, we are plugged into work 24x7, whether we want it or not. It’s not good for our well-being, physically and mentally.
We are losing touch with reality and becoming consumed with artificial goals at work. We work hoping for happiness, but it’s not making us happier. It’s making us more miserable every day.
Some people are more susceptible to the ills of the possibility of working all the time than others. I happen to be one of them, and like any other addiction, work has taken over my life.
So I’ve decided to put my life back in order. I want to leave work at work. I want to work for a limited amount of time and not think about work for a second outside of said time.
Here’s the set of changes I plan to make:
Have a physical office space that is outside my home
Reach the office before 9 AM
Leave the office no later than 5 PM
Leave my work laptop in the office, and never carry it home
Not own a personal laptop at all
Remove all work-related apps from my phone
Possibly switch to a non-smartphone to eliminate the constant distraction of WhatsApp etc. outside of work hours
Not concern myself or think about anything work-related outside of working hours
Walk every day: to and from work, the grocery store, or just anywhere
Meditate
Simply put, I want to treat work as one part of my life, not my entire life. And I want to spend the rest of the time with loved ones, family, and friends or pursue interests like reading, music, photography, etc.
Work is great because it gives life meaning. But too much of anything is bad, and too much work takes away meaning from everything else in life. When you live to work, you forget to live.
I plan to live a little.
Leaving Work at Work was originally published in Aakash N S on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.