Last updated : Wednesday, January 20, 2010

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Does Your Laptop Belong in the Bedroom?

These days it's harder than ever to escape work, even after you've left the office at night. Your BlackBerry is constantly blinking, your mind is racing with projects for the next day, and suddenly you end up in bed next to your laptop! How did this become the norm? We went to Kay Cannon, an executive coach who specializes in helping Type-As, to help us solve this dilemma. She filled us in on ten ways to keep your work and laptop far, far away from your personal life. 

1. Forget about finding work-life balance. That magical spot where everything is perfectly balanced simply doesn't exist in real life. If you keep searching for an imagined work-life balance, you'll just end up increasing your stress.

2. Try this instead: Design your life so that the most important elements are included and then build in some breathing room to manage changing priorities. This dynamic framework gives you flexibility to accommodate unexpected demands without sacrificing what’s truly important. Make sure you include plenty of time for yourself.

3. Turn off your work at a reasonable time each day. Stop work at least two hours before you head to bed. Avoid the temptation to check your e-mail just before you crawl under the covers. Reading work e-mails will get you all wound up just when you need to be powering down your brain for a good night's rest. Here's a tip: Recharge your Blackberry in a room you have no reason to enter. If it's out of sight, it's easier to put it out of mind.

4. Limit your caffeine and fast food intake. Type As tend to rush to get things done. Don't rely on jolts of empty energy to power through tight schedules.  It may give you a temporary lift or save a few minutes, but over the long haul, it's going to decrease stamina and cloud your thinking.      

5. Have dinner with the family or -- if you don't have family nearby -- a non-work-related friend. Practice laughing while you eat.  Research shows laughter improves digestion and relieves stress. Here's a question to jump start the laughter:  "What is your funniest, most embarrassing moment?"

6. Exercise each day. Don't get caught up in the Type A thinking that you need to spend hours exercising.  That kind of thinking only overwhelms you or causes you to overdo.  Just trade the escalator for the stairs.  Bypass the moving sidewalk.  Walk around the building at lunch. Stretch between phone calls. The small things add up. Physical activity helps control your weight, reduces stress and improves your mental health.

7. Get enough sleep. Most adults need between seven and eight hours of sleep a night.  Type As cut corners when it comes to sleep in favor of squeezing in more work or family chores. Here’s the deal: When you scrimp on sleep, your analytical thinking skills diminish, which makes you less effective.

8. Know when to say "no."  Resist the Type A temptation to take on more and more. If you feel overwhelmed and stretched thin, it’s time to say no. Get out your to-do list and look at every item. If something's been lingering on your to-do list for more than a couple of weeks, either delegate it or dump it.

9. Build in time for relaxation and fun. Walk the dog. Read a novel. Take a nap. The pay-off is enormous. It decreases stress, lowers your blood pressure and decreases anger and frustration while improving concentration and boosts your confidence.

10. Have a date night with your love. Too often, the last item on our Type A to-do list is the person who means the most to us. Don't let the sparks go cold.  At least once every two weeks, grab your special someone and go to dinner, hit the movies or cuddle up with some hot chocolate. Make it a work-free zone.

Check out the rest of the career section for more great tips. 

About Kay Cannon: An award-winning executive coach since 1999, Kay Cannon has interviews in more than 50 publications including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Forbes Online, The London Financial Times, The Washington Post, Newsday, CIO Magazine, CFO Magazine and Executive Travel. Check out her Web site. 

 

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