Switching Off

Something I have struggled with for many years is switching off from work. Work stuff is always there in the back of my mind, popping up at the most inconvenient times. Have you ever been awake at 3am thinking about work? Occasionally or all the time?

Growing up, my dad was always working. He had too because that was the farming life. When I started working, I quickly found myself on the IT after hours roster and then carrying a pager or mobile phone for the next 20 or so years of my career. It just became part of my life. You’re on call, you think about work, even if the pager does go off.

Starting a business compounded the issue. Now it there was a much bigger range of things to discuss with myself in the small hours of the morning! Going on holiday? Don’t forget your laptop!

Like many other people in the IT industry, I have some bad habits that have been created over a lifetime of working in this way. It goes well beyond the 3am discussions, it was (past tense) my diet, my weight, my inability to have a conversation with someone about other topics, letting go of my hobbies and a declining social life.

Help! I need to do something about this!

Going Analog Again

One of the first things I did, was stop wearing a smart watch and start wearing my very nice analogy watch again. I noticed a difference almost instantly. Not only did I lose the notifications, but I also stopped looking at my phone when I wanted to know the time.

I started playing LP’s on my record player. Oh, I need to get up and turn it over! There is something about holding a piece of vinyl that you don’t get from Spotify. Micro breaks and the warmth of the sound are good for your mind.

Doing things the long way

They say the journey is an important part of the experience, and that is something we often forget when we reach for convenience. There is a reason why home-made pasta is better than packet. It’s not just the flavour; it’s the reward for your effort.

I have a regular client engagement, that I walk to. It’s about 15 mins each way. The walk means I get time to think and clear my head, I also get my body moving more than sitting at a desk and a better client relationship, because it’s face to face. I would get none of the benefit, if it was a Teams call.

Routine

Something they don’t tell you is that the single biggest influence on your health outcomes is you habits. If you have bad habits, chances are it impacts your health now or later in life. We joke about being a little bit overweight or not doing much exercise, but in my experience, this really isn’t something we should joke about. Your dad body, often means hidden health issues.

I decided to break my bad habits in January after feeling a little embarrassed about my weight and struggling to keep up with some mates who I was out walking with. I realised that I needed to do something, but what?

I decided to do 3 things:

• Walk 5km fast at least 3 times per week, with a hill in the middle. I live near a couple so that was achievable without jumping in the car.
• Stop drinking Coke. Yes, I had a terrible habit of drinking soft drinks every day. It was bad for my weight and my blood sugar. I’d rather have a glass of water now.
• Leave work before 5pm twice a week and go walking immediately. No excuses.

Things started happening quickly. I lost weight, my fitness improved, I got faster on the walks and because of this I started looking at soft drinks as my enemy rather than something I enjoyed. 10 months later and I am more than 10kgs lighter and I needed to buy new jeans a couple of sizes down.

Something else happened too. I started feeling better about myself. The new focus on fixing myself, helped me sleep better too. Sometimes l wakeup early, but it’s not to think about work.

I had an appointment with my doctor recently and he asked me what I had done, your blood test is much better than the last one. I told him and he said to keep up the great work. Not many people take this stuff seriously he said.

The ultimate test was going on leave recently and switching off completely. I didn’t think about work much at all, I was to busy being present and enjoying time with my lovely wife. It was me telling her to switch off her laptop now, oh how the tide has turned!