Poll

How easily can you forget about work?

I can forget about work very easily.
68 (48.9%)
I can forget about work on longer vacations.
33 (23.7%)
I am always thinking about work.
38 (27.3%)

Total Members Voted: 137

Author Topic: How fast can you shed your thoughts about work?  (Read 8794 times)

Gone Fishing

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How fast can you shed your thoughts about work?
« on: January 08, 2016, 01:16:23 PM »
Thankfully, I don't get any weekend/vacation communications from the office.  A regular weekend is not quite enough, but a three day weekend is long enough for me to almost completely forget about work, to the point where I almost have to "reboot" on the things I was working on the week before.  A one or two week vacation is enough to make me forget I even have a job.  I have a ton of pity for those that are always "on" 24/7.  Can you ever forget about work?
« Last Edit: January 08, 2016, 01:20:14 PM by So Close »

GuitarStv

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Re: How fast can you shed your thoughts about work?
« Reply #1 on: January 08, 2016, 01:24:58 PM »
I'm often not thinking about work while at work, let alone at home.

AZDude

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Re: How fast can you shed your thoughts about work?
« Reply #2 on: January 08, 2016, 01:40:28 PM »
I'm often not thinking about work while at work, let alone at home.

Same. Luckily, I have the ability to pretend work does not exist unless I am actually there. I dont obsess over problems or conversations when Im away from the job.

Dollar Slice

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Re: How fast can you shed your thoughts about work?
« Reply #3 on: January 08, 2016, 01:46:09 PM »
I am very much a "forget I even have a job" type of person, as long as something extremely stressful isn't happening.

My current boss is - well, if she could think about work more frequently than 24-7 she would. ;-) It's like a compulsion. I've had to have some serious talks with her about not contacting me at home about work unless it is an emergency. She has contacted me on weekends, in the evening, before I wake up in the morning, on vacation, on sick days when I am very ill, etc. etc. Drives me up a wall...

johnny847

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Re: How fast can you shed your thoughts about work?
« Reply #4 on: January 08, 2016, 01:48:43 PM »
It's easy if I bike home. That usually wipes my mind clean of work thoughts in about five minutes.

Unless I'm trying to think about work. When I say work, I really mean research for my PhD, which in reality I'm thinking about at some level almost all the time.

I'm a red panda

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Re: How fast can you shed your thoughts about work?
« Reply #5 on: January 08, 2016, 01:52:34 PM »
I rarely think about work over the weekend (well except on weekends when I bring work home). I certainly don't over vacation. I generally don't even think about it in the evenings after work.

This is one thing I love about my job. There is not a lot of BS that gets me upset and I dwell on it.  I do the work, I don't think about it when I'm not doing it. There is no drama. There are a lot of deadlines and work bleeding into personal time, but if I'm not at my computer, I don't think about it.

andy85

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Re: How fast can you shed your thoughts about work?
« Reply #6 on: January 08, 2016, 01:55:52 PM »
I'm often not thinking about work while at work, let alone at home.
Very much this

Don't get me wrong, i dont hate my job and i am pretty good at what i do, but it definitely isnt something stressful or something that i take home with me.

stashmeister1

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Re: How fast can you shed your thoughts about work?
« Reply #7 on: January 08, 2016, 02:08:41 PM »
As soon as I get in my car and turn the music on, I forget.  :)

I've had a job in the past I was really passionate about- so I did think about it more often.  But there was a lot of BS, and I over analyzed things I did/decisions I made after the fact.  I think experience gave me confidence and now I don't dwell on work things.  I make decisions and move on. 

FI definitely helps though, and I bet we'll see more people feeling disconnected on this forum.  Which is a good thing in my opinion.

redbird

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Re: How fast can you shed your thoughts about work?
« Reply #8 on: January 08, 2016, 03:34:47 PM »
While still working? It depended. My job was one where I only had to work 40 hours a week and I was not on call. For many years, I was fine. But towards the end, the strain the job put on me while I was there made it hard to enjoy anything while I was not at work and I found myself losing more and more sleep.

Pretty much the day after I FIRE'd I stopped thinking about work for the most part. The only thing I think about now and then are the co-worker friends who still work there and have to deal with that place's nonsense. I hope they are OK.

Teacherstache

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Re: How fast can you shed your thoughts about work?
« Reply #9 on: January 08, 2016, 08:12:15 PM »
As an elementary teacher, I think about my work way too much. July of each year is about the only time I'm not thinking about work too much. But even then, I'm still researching things for the next school year or taking classes.

Lski'stash

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Re: How fast can you shed your thoughts about work?
« Reply #10 on: January 08, 2016, 08:48:44 PM »
As an elementary teacher, I think about my work way too much. July of each year is about the only time I'm not thinking about work too much. But even then, I'm still researching things for the next school year or taking classes.

This. It's gotten easier for me over the years to compartmentalize the hard parts (bad parent/kid situations, politics, etc...), but overall, I'm always thinking about lesson plans and new ways to help kids. It's more like Im watching or reading something and think, "This would make an awesome lesson on blank topic," or, "This might be an excellent way to help blank student learn better."

Zikoris

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Re: How fast can you shed your thoughts about work?
« Reply #11 on: January 08, 2016, 08:51:47 PM »
Work gets wiped from my mind the second I leave the building. Everything else in my life is just so much more interesting. That's probably why I've never had any interest in office politics or anything either.

KMMK

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Re: How fast can you shed your thoughts about work?
« Reply #12 on: January 08, 2016, 09:13:49 PM »
I struggle with obsessive repetitive (and often negative, though not always) thoughts, so not thinking about work is a struggle for me; especially right now when it's new, very busy and stressful with long hours. I think about what I have to do the next day too much. I wish I could shut it off better.

dontwannaworkforever

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Re: How fast can you shed your thoughts about work?
« Reply #13 on: January 08, 2016, 09:42:11 PM »
Every single day I'm thinking about separating from the military (I separate in June). and every day my mind is on getting started in a new career.

It occupies my mind. I have a lot weighing down on me this year but this is my year! I'm on fire mentally since I decided to switch careers. Feeling refreshed.

darkadams00

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Re: How fast can you shed your thoughts about work?
« Reply #14 on: January 08, 2016, 10:01:02 PM »
It's easy if I bike home. That usually wipes my mind clean of work thoughts in about five minutes.

Unless I'm trying to think about work. When I say work, I really mean research for my PhD, which in reality I'm thinking about at some level almost all the time.

This. One reason my wife loves that I bike to work.

big_slacker

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Re: How fast can you shed your thoughts about work?
« Reply #15 on: January 10, 2016, 07:58:23 AM »
What's this work thing you're talking about?

Tabaxus

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Re: How fast can you shed your thoughts about work?
« Reply #16 on: January 10, 2016, 08:31:41 AM »
All the time, including on vacations.  Biglaw lawyers are basically on call 24/7, so even if I'm not actually doing work, I always have one eye on my email.

It's one of the things that really grates about this career, but unfortunately, it's part of the gig.

cavewoman

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Re: How fast can you shed your thoughts about work?
« Reply #17 on: January 10, 2016, 08:54:22 AM »
I answered that I can forget easily, but there is a qualifier to that one.

I'm in social work so sometimes there is a family or client that gets to me.  In a sense that I would worry about them.  Mostly it just serves as motivation to make sure that every day, I do my best to do everything I can for each person, so I don't come home and think about what could happen.

EverCurious

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Re: How fast can you shed your thoughts about work?
« Reply #18 on: January 10, 2016, 09:44:03 AM »
Oh, I'm always thinking about work in one way or another. At work I gotta keep in my head the tasks I need to do, and that my evaluation is coming up, and what needs to be stocked, try to always smile, etc. Of course there's also workplace drama going on that I steer clear from being involved in, but even hearing about it is a bit stressful.

At home, I shed my work clothes and try to relax, but even then my mind involuntarily keeps thinking about work. Thoughts about taking potential pay raise opportunities and stuff mostly. Planning my steps for the future. Calculating my next move. I sometimes do get to relax, mentally, but then sleeping comes in.

Very often, at least three times a week, I will have dreams about my workplace. Then I wake up, and get ready to go to work.

samburger

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Re: How fast can you shed your thoughts about work?
« Reply #19 on: January 10, 2016, 10:07:17 AM »
I'm making the conscious decision to give more of my life over to work for a while, partly because I'll advance more quickly and partly because I'm really enjoying what I'm doing right now.

I'd say my head is 80% work-free after a 2-day weekend. 95% after a 3-day weekend.

CynthiaL

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Re: How fast can you shed your thoughts about work?
« Reply #20 on: January 10, 2016, 10:13:34 AM »
For years, I had been good about leaving work thoughts at work and enjoying weekends and evenings.  Lately, I'm always thinking about work, but from a 'big picture' standpoint of deciding if I want to stay in my current job, or transfer to another department, or go to another company.  Hopefully, this will subside once I make a firm decision, in the meantime I'm driving myself crazy!

cautiouspessimist

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Re: How fast can you shed your thoughts about work?
« Reply #21 on: January 10, 2016, 10:30:31 AM »
I'm so good at forgetting about work over the weekends (unless I am at work on the weekend, as I am currently) that I need to make sure anything to be done on Monday is written down on my to-do list on Friday or I won't remember it.

I still am subject to the SND (Sunday Night Dread), but I don't think that's really the same thing.

pachnik

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Re: How fast can you shed your thoughts about work?
« Reply #22 on: January 10, 2016, 10:46:16 AM »
Unless there is something stressful going on for me at work, I kind of forget about it.  If something stressful is going on, then work does flash into my mind a bit on the weekend.  There isn't usually anything stressful happening.

teen persuasion

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Re: How fast can you shed your thoughts about work?
« Reply #23 on: January 10, 2016, 11:14:28 AM »
Ooh, tough one to answer.  I like my part-time  job, wouldn't mind more hours if they were better hours, but work bleeds over into my homelife/community life. So in some ways I'm always filtering things with work in mind (like the teachers that responded upthread). 

I work in the little public library in our village, and we are book junkies, so we are patrons, too.  My kids drop in after school on the days I work.  They attend programs, join clubs, use services.  Then there's the volunteer side of it - we were Friends of the library before they offered me a position, and we still are, so the lines are blurry.  Staff, volunteer, patron - which hat am I wearing right now?

Aussiegirl

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Re: How fast can you shed your thoughts about work?
« Reply #24 on: January 10, 2016, 12:23:28 PM »
Every one thinks the invention of the smart phone is a great thing - and it probably is.   But it has built up the expectation that you check and respond to work emails at all hours of the day and night.  Separation from job isn't as easy as it used to be.

JrDoctor

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Re: How fast can you shed your thoughts about work?
« Reply #25 on: January 10, 2016, 12:52:38 PM »
Patients plague my weekend and night time thoughts.

jjface

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Re: How fast can you shed your thoughts about work?
« Reply #26 on: January 10, 2016, 08:01:18 PM »
The single most devastating cause of bad posture!

The_path_less_taken

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Re: How fast can you shed your thoughts about work?
« Reply #27 on: January 10, 2016, 08:15:54 PM »
I struggle with obsessive repetitive (and often negative, though not always) thoughts, so not thinking about work is a struggle for me; especially right now when it's new, very busy and stressful with long hours. I think about what I have to do the next day too much. I wish I could shut it off better.


Ditto, alas.

I was recently given a sorta-snotty ultimatum and replied with: "no worries, happy to change departments"....which stunned them all.

Only now I'll soon be straight commission, and end up working six days on, then two days off, with alternating day/night shifts...insane.

If the money doesn't end up right....or at least better....it'll be 'down the road toad'. Because I'm very much at the "I can cross the street and make this wage with probably less bs." stage of the game.

I'm blond, but I still have a brain under all the hair....

HappyMargo

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Re: How fast can you shed your thoughts about work?
« Reply #28 on: January 10, 2016, 08:27:46 PM »
My last job had way too much OR Call.  Because of my specialty, I only had Tuesday night & Sunday days off Call.  The rest of my life was all about either being AT work or waiting to get called BACK INTO work.  Always.  It was exhausting & stressful.

Now without Call, once the day is done, it's done.  Aaahh!
 
And I'm getting much better at steering clear of drama, politics & gossip while there too.  It makes for a much calmer work day just letting it all roll right off my back.   
This is mostly thanks to FU money in the bank & getting nearer to FI.  Petty stuff just melts away.



« Last Edit: January 10, 2016, 08:29:31 PM by HappyMargo »

turketron

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Re: How fast can you shed your thoughts about work?
« Reply #29 on: January 10, 2016, 08:42:40 PM »
I can stop thinking about my actual job almost the second I leave in the afternoon. I'll still get work emails on my phone but I just dismiss them and check them when I get in the next morning. However, I love the people I work with and work with some of my best friends, so I'm very frequently still thinking about the people I work with after I leave for the day.

accolay

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Re: How fast can you shed your thoughts about work?
« Reply #30 on: January 10, 2016, 08:48:31 PM »
Patients plague my weekend and night time thoughts.

+1 depending on the pt involved and situation (death, code, violence) that got to you that day.

Ebrat

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Re: How fast can you shed your thoughts about work?
« Reply #31 on: January 11, 2016, 03:41:30 AM »
This is something I really want to work on this year.  My job is really flexible, but that means that it's easy to let it seep into every aspect of my life (putting things off during the week and catching up on the weekends, etc.), and the list of things to be done is basically never-ending.  Plus there's often an expectation for quick responses in the evenings, weekends, etc.  I want to break away from this and have been working on, basically, lowering people's expectations re: my responsiveness.  I also need to get a better work routine established.  I want to be focused and "on" when I'm working, but then step away and forget about it until it's time to work again.

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Re: How fast can you shed your thoughts about work?
« Reply #32 on: January 11, 2016, 04:56:48 AM »
I stop thinking about work as soon as I leave (part of living in the moment and because, if I zoom out a bit, nothing is so serious that it cannot wait).

I also do not talk about work outside of work. It takes up its allotment of my time. Also, I have a lot of other interests. I would rather be silent with someone than fill up the air with talk about work.

steviesterno

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Re: How fast can you shed your thoughts about work?
« Reply #33 on: January 11, 2016, 05:10:35 AM »
I have a long standing habit of never taking work home. seldom even emails or calls on my days off, and never projects or actual work. it's hard to manage, but doing so means my home is my home and not where I worry about it.

sometimes I think a little about it, but it's almost never on purpose. some patients linger and sometimes ideas pop up for something to try in the middle of the night, but that doesn't count. 

spokey doke

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Re: How fast can you shed your thoughts about work?
« Reply #34 on: January 11, 2016, 06:53:38 AM »
I wish I could stop, but I can't and it isn't healthy.  That is one of the reasons I will soon be shedding work (quitting to do something I would like to do and think about more).

Schaefer Light

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Re: How fast can you shed your thoughts about work?
« Reply #35 on: January 11, 2016, 07:54:34 AM »
Every one thinks the invention of the smart phone is a great thing - and it probably is.   But it has built up the expectation that you check and respond to work emails at all hours of the day and night.  Separation from job isn't as easy as it used to be.
Agreed.  I wish I could just leave my damn cell phone in the office when I go home for the day.  I don't respond to work-related emails at night or on weekends unless there's a true emergency, but the simple fact that the phone is with me all the time makes it too easy for co-workers to interfere with my free time.

Clausen

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Re: How fast can you shed your thoughts about work?
« Reply #36 on: January 11, 2016, 05:06:54 PM »
Most days I've stopped thinking about work before I've walked out the office door.

Clausen

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Re: How fast can you shed your thoughts about work?
« Reply #37 on: January 11, 2016, 05:37:57 PM »
I get stuck on loop about situations and conversations that spiral down throughout the day into the night. If if it is a really bad time of year (christmas, june), it can be weeks or months. It usually takes 1-2 weeks of nothing to decompress during vacations.

Anyone have any suggestions to move away from this?

See a doctor. I've been there and it isn't healthy. It took me month and a change of job to fix it.

Good luck

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!