Switching Off and Slowing Down

Did you know that we are sleeping 1-2 hours less than we did 60 years ago, that over 2/3s of us work outside of our contracted working hours and that on average people lose 6 days of their annual holiday because they don’t take them? All of this contributes to feeling overworked and always on. This week’s Squiggly Careers podcast looks at home we can press pause and put practical actions in place that enable us to switch-off and slow down.

About this week’s episode:

Sarah’s recent holiday prompted us to think about the benefits of proactively managing the rhythms of work. This week’s podcast looks into the mental and physical benefits of switching-off and slowing-down. I’ve summarised some of the key research insights, our top 5 tips, useful resources and the episode transcript below.

For the full episode, search for Squiggly Careers wherever you listen to podcasts and play episode 77. Or, click on this link here.

What we learnt from the research….

• 69% of ‘white collar’ workers are regularly required to work outside of their official hours
• We now get between one and two hours’ less sleep than we did 60 years ago
• Technology has had a negative impact on our attention span
• Inadequate psychological recovery is associated with a range of health problems including cardiovascular disease, fatigue, negative mood and sleep disturbance
• People who value leisure time, and scheduled activities they enjoyed, were more able to detach from work.
• The average worker fails to use six days of paid leave each year, but Ernst & Young found that for every additional 10 hours of time off taken, employees’ annual performance ratings improved by 8%

Our top tips for switching-off and slowing down…

1. Work in 90 minutes stints
2. Always take your holiday and digitally detox when you’re ‘off’
3. Ask ‘why’ you chose to spend your time as you are. Constructively challenge your assumptions.
4. Find absorbing leisure activities
5. Practice the art of daydreaming

Resources for further reading…

https://hbr.org/2010/05/for-real-productivity-less-is

https://the-happiness-index.com/importance-of-annual-leave/

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.themuse.com/amp/advice/4-ridiculously-smart-reasons-to-slow-down-at-work

https://hbr.org/product/manage-your-energy-not-your-time/an/R0710B-PDF-ENG

https://www.thisisinsider.com/benefits-of-daydreaming-2018-8

https://hbr.org/2017/12/if-you-aspire-to-be-a-great-leader-be-present