Weekend recharging means greater effectiveness come Monday morning… but are you doing it correctly?

Whether you are back in a brick and mortar office or connecting virtually from home, we all tend to forget the importance of creating meaningful transition space between our “work” and our “off the clock” brain.  In generations past, the typical commute was considered an excellent vehicle (pun intended) to help us slowly move into a more relaxed space.  Some folks would read the newspaper, listen to music or simply zone out during the ride.  

While technology has afforded us the opportunity to continue working on our laptops and phones on the train or dictate emails and make calls from the car, it has also taken away the built-in ability for us to wind down.  We tend to carry the ongoing dynamics of work with us throughout our weekend. Maybe it’s the critical conversation we had with our direct report that plays over and over in our head, or the concern that builds when we haven’t heard back from an important stakeholder and we create a negative story line around why that is, or it’s the long list of to-dos that stick with us even when we don’t have plans to work on them until the following week.  

So what’s the outcome of these seemingly cerebral exercises?

We don’t recharge and we coast into Monday morning saying “How is the weekend over already? I don’t feel rested or prepared to start another week!”  What’s actually occurring is that we are promoting an extended state within our sympathetic nervous system.  Without delving too far into neuroscience, humans have an autonomic nervous system, which comprises two parts: the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. The sympathetic nervous system activates the fight or flight response during a perceived threat or danger, while the parasympathetic nervous system restores the body to a state of calm.  What’s important to note here is that our bodies cannot tell the difference between a perceived threat or stressful situation (i.e. anxious thoughts about work) versus an actual one (in the moment).  

When we are thinking about work, we are continuously feeding our body signals to remain in a heightened state of alarm, which triggers physical reactions like increased heart rate and blood pressure, dilated pupils, and increases the secretion of adrenaline and noradrenaline (also called norepinephrine).  Remaining in this state burns more calories and wears us down.  So even if you are watching a movie with the family or hanging by the pool during your weekend of “rest,” your brain is telling your body to remain on high alert- ready to jump into work mode at any moment.  Therefore the seemingly relaxing activities we engage in are purely external in nature and not reflective of what is actually occuring inside our bodies when we still have work on the brain.

This may seem like a silly analogy, but imagine a cordless vacuum (I love my Dyson and have seen this situation play out many times).  Our home has a lot of stairs… and kids… and pets, so I like to keep my extremely handy vacuum accessible.  For years, I would leave it in the corner of the kitchen or the hall closet so it was right there- ready to jump into action when our golden retriever came running in from the yard with muddy paws.  Eventually, I did this so many times that the battery would slowly drain and when I needed my trusty vacuum the most, it would be dead.  It took several occurrences and many expletives later before I learned that taking the time to return the vacuum to it’s charging station in our basement made certain that it was ready, reliable and effective.  Our bodies, including our brains, need to be put on a charging station to truly reap the benefits of being off duty… and this doesn’t mean being physically present while our mind wanders in and out of work related scenarios.  Without a deliberate effort to transition to that state of relaxation, we are slowing and continuously draining our batteries. 

So how can we recharge?  

Simply put, we have to create small rituals or traditions that signal to our bodies that we are off duty and can move into the parasympathetic nervous system, which slows our heart rate, reduces blood pressure, and stimulates digestion thereby promoting overall rest.  This is when we conserve energy and allow our systems to replenish and heal.  

What might these rituals look like to switch off the “work” brain and switch on the “off the clock” brain?  

While they don’t need to be elaborate or time consuming, they should be meaningful to you and address the transition away from one state and into the next.  Consider the following exercises (in tandem or separately), which my executive coaching clients have made into successful habits over the years:

1. Write a list of all that is on your mind related to work at the end of the day on Friday- concerns, stressors, list of to-dos and anything else you want to keep  top of mind come Monday morning.  You can either leave the list at your desk or send it to yourself in an email scheduled to arrive late Sunday night or first thing Monday.
2. Spend 3-5 minutes or more in a guided meditation or presence breathing activity.  Maybe you even add a word or phrase to repeat that will signal you are moving through the transition period.  For example: ‘I am making space to rest’ ‘I will remain present’ ‘Recharge’ ‘I am starting to feel calmer”
3. Before you jump into Friday happy hour, take a brisk walk or bike ride or choose any repetitive physical activity that can help burn off the excess adrenaline and lower your cortisol levels, while also increasing endorphins (your brain’s feel good neurotransmitters).
4. Engage in a moving meditation with a hobby or activity you enjoy such as gardening, photography, yoga, playing solitaire or even cleaning (I know- this one is for the select few of us that find calm in scrubbing away on pots and pans).
5. If you are an animal lover, play or pet your furry friend (and not while you look at your phone).
6. Finally, if you are someone who likes to use the weekend to “catch up on emails” etc., create boundaries around this activity.  Decide when and for how long you will engage in this.  Set a timer and stick to it.  In addition, assess how you feel afterwards.  If this activity gives you a sense of accomplishment and calm, play around with it.  How much can you reduce this activity and still feel its positive effects? Most clients find taking 30 minutes or 1 hour on Sunday morning can help ease the transition back into the work week.  Note- if you don’t already do this, please don’t start! (Unless you believe it will be extremely beneficial)

Whatever you choose as your ritual transition activity, try it out for a few weeks, make adjustments and find what works for you.  Once you create this new habit, your brain will be able to move more fluidly to a state of calm, thereby allowing you to truly maximize and benefit from your time off.  Otherwise, you might as well just stay at work! *That’s a joke- not a suggestion.