New Ideas For Us To Think!

Most of us are working harder and longer hours, and find it difficult to just "let go" at the end of the workday. You're still thinking of that project that needs to be completed, the meeting tomorrow you should attend and those phone calls you didn't get to. Here are a few ideas on how to "turn it off" at the end of the workday and reconnect with our private life:

1)  Use the last 15 minutes of the workday to do low-pressure tasks. Clean off your desk, return one or two calls to people you enjoy dealing with. More importantly, take the time to plan and write down tomorrow's tasks. Trying to remember them will just keep your mind preoccupied all night.

2)  Make a point of noticing the scenery on your journey home. Smell the air, notice the trees or the sky. It will help distance you from the workday, relax you and remind you of a larger perspective.

3)  When you get home, don't immediately launch into a litany about how tough your day was. Ask your family to also hold off on their demands for a few minutes to a half an hour. Use this time to change clothes, take a shower or a walk, enjoy a cup of tea or glass of wine.

4)  Establish rituals. Simple things like family dinners have gotten lost in today's busy lifestyle. Try to create "touchstones" at home that make you all reconnect. This can be sitting down once week to a meal together, spending an evening together watching a certain show on TV, etc. If you tend to be a workaholic -- and these days, it's difficult to avoid overworking yourself.

Remember the big picture........... Someone once said that............... "Upon dying, no one ever said, 'I wish I had spent more time at work.'"