Find happiness by separating your work and home life effectively.
By Gerrianne Clare — Written on Nov 22, 2011
Advice on how to let go of your work stress before you go home at the end of the day.
Does this sound familiar? Work is nuts. You have a major project due, you are over budget, you have team members who may or may not be pulling their weight and all you know is that your next promotion is riding on the successful completion of this project. With the deadline looming, you know you need to focus all of your time and attention on getting the work done.
Fast forward to the end of the day. It's 5 o’clock. You have to pick up your kids from day care in 30 minutes, your husband is out of town (or you are a single parent) and you have more work to do on the project when you get home. How do you keep your work stress from eroding away at the precious little time you have with your kids? 6 Ways to Handle Frustrations, Stresses, and Set-Backs
The most effective way to manage this work/life transition is to do something called segment intending. Originally conceived by Esther and Gerry Hicks, segment intending helps you focus on the task at hand while effectively putting other things on the shelf to be taken care of later. Give it a try.
About 15 minutes prior to the end of your work day, set the intention to complete your day fully before you go home. Here are some tips for you to do just that.
- Make a list of all the things that you know need to get done the next time you work on the project. Take a deep belly breath and say to yourself “I am done with this for now. I know what I need to do when I next work on this project”. Let it go.
- On your commute home, set the intention for how you want to be with your family when you get home. For example: I am present and really listen to my kids for 10 minutes when I get home. In that time, I will only focus on them and their needs.
- Before transitioning into your home, take another deep belly breath before walking in the door. Turn off your smart phone for a specific period of time so your family knows that they are your priority. Reconnect with your intention. 5 Tips For Moms & Dads On Bonding With Their Kids
The key to this technique is to set the intention for how you want the specific time segments to go. Give it a try!