Thank you for watching our Shine Offline downtime and work life balance webinar.
This page is a recap on the learning with resources to help support you make improvements to your digital habits so you can reclaim your work life balance and build some pause into your day.
Remember small changes can have huge impacts to minimise your workplace stress and maximise your wellbeing.
Building breaks into your working day
With a move to more remote working, and the majority of meetings now happening virtually, many people find the natural transitions in the working day have gone. And in this always-on world of constant connection it has become the norm to be stimulated and occupied via our digital devices all of the time. This can result in overwhelm, overload and burn out.
By scheduling screen free breaks into your day you will allow your mind to rest and recover, and process your thoughts. Avoid filling breaks scrolling through news or social media to let your mind really rest – you will find improvements to both your wellbeing and productivity. When was the last time you went for a walk without your phone? Try it today!
Read our blog post about the importance of screen free break time here.
- Hack back by using Screen Time features, digital wellbeing features, use Do Not Disturb, adjust the notifications on your devices and try using digital wellbeing apps – check out our favourite ones in our blog
- Plan your online and offline time so rather than defaulting to being ‘on’ all of the time bring some purpose to when you choose to be on and off your digital devices
- Celebrate rest and work smarter not longer and plan screen free microbreaks, longer breaks and lunch breaks
- Managers lead by example by taking breaks themselves and encouraging them in their team
- Pepper day with restful activities be that stretching, walking, a cup of tea, 15 minutes gardening. What would go in your rest box?
Protecting your work life balance and respecting that of others
62% of people tell us their work life balance has been negatively impacted with a move to more flexible working. Even if you’re lucky enough to have a designated work space at home it can be difficult switching off from work on those days when you aren’t in the office. And doubly so if your home office is in your bedroom or kitchen. Put some hard edges in your day and decide when your work stops and personal life starts.
Read our blog on work life balance here.
- Take personal responsibility for when you are on and off your work technology
- Keep your bedroom a tech free zone and reclaim your sleep time
- Take work email off your phone and if possible have two phones to separate your professional from personal life
- Shut down work tech at the end of the working day and try and resist logging back on. If you are working in an office why not leave work tech there?
- Manage expectations of others around out of hours availability – make use of Out of Office replies to let people know you won’t be checking your email
- Draft and schedule non-urgent communications if working out of hours – it shows respect to the recipient’s off time and creates a healthier culture
- Be sympathetic to time zones of others when sending communications or arranging meetings
- Everyone needs a holiday no one should be indispensable. If you handover properly before you go away there should be no reason to check in and you can only be expected to be contacted for real emergencies. This is extra important if you are the boss!
- Managers lead by example by modelling good digital behaviours themselves and questioning the out of hours behaviour of their team
We don’t live in digital bubbles. Your digital behaviour not only impacts your own wellbeing and work life balance but that of other people as well.
Talk to your colleagues about why this topic is so important and what you are doing to improve your digital habits. Work together to make collective changes so that everyone feels able to step away and enjoy proper rest and downtime.
Good luck!
Any questions or comments? Drop us a line at hello@shineoffline.com
Downtime & Work Life Balance reading recommendations
“The Art of Rest: How to Find Respite in the Modern Age” by Claudia Hammond
Draws on ground breaking research Claudia Hammond collaborated on – ‘The Rest Test’ – the largest global survey into rest ever undertaken, which was completed by 18,000 people across 135 different countries.
“Bored and Brilliant: How Spacing Out Can Unlock Your Most Productive and Creative Self” by Manoush Zomorodi
Bored and Brilliant shows the fascinating side of boredom and why it is actually a crucial tool for making our lives happier, more productive and more creative.
“Digital Minimalism – Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World” by Cal Newport
In this timely and enlightening book, Cal Newport introduces a philosophy for intentional, purposeful technology use aligned with your values and goals.
Shine Offline and the Mindful Business Charter
Shine Offline are proud to be the digital wellbeing partners of the Mindful Business Charter (MBC). Initially launched in 2018 by Barclays and law firms Addleshaw Goddard and Pinsent Masons, and now with over 120 signatory businesses, the MBC is a set of best practice, behavioural principles to tackle unnecessary workplace stress that impact employee mental health and wellbeing. For more information and if you are interested in joining the MBC community visit www.mindfulbusinesscharter.com