Being a workaholic can have terrible impact on your wellbeing. It creeps into your personal life, saps your creativity and can make you downright grumpy.

But in a world of 24-7 smartphone access, even if you’re not actually doing work while you’re at home, you might need a reminder of how to switch off your work brain. Here are our tips on how to focus on what you’re doing outside of work, instead of thinking about the challenges that might be waiting for you back at the office…

Keep yourself busy

Instead of sitting at home and worrying about what will happen when you get back to work, plan things in your downtime that you really enjoy.

If you’re used to being constantly busy it can be hard to readjust to doing very little and simply relaxing. So treat your time off like your work day – create a plan, whether it is an evening out of the office, a swim after work, going to the theatre, or time away on holiday. If you are used to having a busy mind, without a specific plan it may be very easy to return to your habits and re-engage with work when you probably need a break.

This will help you to avoid feeling a little lost and will stop thoughts of work creeping into your head.

Re-connect with people you care about

It’s easy to stop seeing friends and family as often you’d like due to being ‘too busy’. If you make time to see people who you’re overdue a catch up with during the week, it not only means you have more fulfilling evenings, it gives you something to look forward to throughout the working day, and it also stops you from cramming in too much at the weekend, which can be exhausting in itself!

Crack open a book

Many of us spend all day staring at a screen, so it’s best to do something completely different to help your mind relax. Getting stuck into a book not only takes you away from your computer, laptop, tablet, phone etc, it also allows you to escape from everyday life, preventing you from going over the day’s stresses and worries.

If you’re not a big reader, you might find audiobooks are a great alternative to help you switch off on your journey home, so by the time you get back, you’re ready to get on with the rest of your day.

Spend time on your hobbies

While reading and listening to podcasts definitely fall under the “hobbies” umbrella, find something that also lights a fire in you by taking a class, joining a club or team. If you are learning a language, playing an instrument or taking part in sport it will require so much concentration that your mind won’t be able to wander and it’ll give you a great sense of pleasure, satisfaction and accomplishment outside of the work environment.

If your phone makes it hard for you to switch off outside of work then try another number and use its ‘Do not Disturb” mode to help get your evenings, weekends and holidays back.