I’ve been noticing recently how “bursty” I am when it comes to my ability to focus on any particular task. Both at work and in my leisure time, I prefer to start and finish a single project, instead of switching between them.
If I’m knitting something, that’s the only thing I want to do in my spare time. I struggle to focus on other crafts, like embroidery, or even reading a book. And if I get stuck in a book I like, I’ll finish it in a couple of days and then go do my other hobbies for a few weeks until I feel the pull of reading again.
But where it really impacts me is switching between work and leisure. If I’m working on something and I haven’t finished it by the end of the day, it’s really difficult for me to switch into leisure mode.
I hate it. So I’m trying to find ways to switch more easily and quickly. Things that have worked so far:
- Setting boundaries. Each day I decide when I’m going to stop working (unless there’s a real emergency). I’m allowed a 15 minute buffer if I’m almost done with something, but otherwise, pencils down. This also means that I’m not available to chat with my partner during the day or do home chores 9–5.
- Keeping a list of my accomplishments. If I feel like I completed a bunch of tasks, it’s easier for me to sign off. I usually spend the last few minutes of the day making a list of what I got done by going through my messages and documents.
- Device-free, homemade dinners. Making dinner is a liminal task between work and leisure. It helps that it forces me to get my hands dirty and therefore, put down my phone. My partner and I also eat dinner at the kitchen table, facing each other, without our phones or other screens (unless it’s to take a picture of our adorable cat, of course!)
- Talking to myself like I would a friend. I remind all my friends that we’re just fungible profit-generating units for our employers so no reason to kill ourselves at work. Sometimes I have to give myself that pep talk, too.
- Holding myself accountable when I slip up. Sometimes, I’m still thinking about a way to revise a particular agreement clause when I should be paying attention to my partner or a friend. When I catch myself thinking about work during leisure time, I force myself to admit I didn’t hear my conversation partner, apologize, and ask them to repeat themselves so I can intentionally re-engage.
- Starting fresh. When all else fails, I force myself to go to bed, listen to a sleep meditation so I can do better tomorrow.
So yeah, I’m not perfect, but I’m trying. Hopefully this is helpful to someone else.
