Closing down the whirring work mind: being "home" and sleeping better
Being at rest helps us be present with others, sleep better, and be at the top of our game. But when we arrive home for the day and find our minds still whirring away with work matters, rest can be hard to come by: mental, emotional, and physical.
Here are two methods to help close down the whirring work mind that uses the good old to-do list: to be more fully home and to sleep better.
Improving home presence
I created a concept called Closing the door on the day after a client’s partner wanted them to be home more—emotionally and mentally. They always seemed to be at work, even when they were physically home.
The idea was that 15-30 minutes before they left work, they were to review the achievements for that day and then plan the following day, creating their to-do list and updating their calendar. Once completed, they were to mentally (and physically, if possible) close the door on the work day, leaving the space to return home.
At home, if they did find their brain still whirring, they were to add items to the to-do list but not act or ruminate on them. It worked a treat, and many others I have worked with since have experienced greater ease in being more present at home from this one end-of-day discipline.
Improving sleep
Worrying about the future and tasks yet to be done can make falling asleep tricky. Researchers wanted to understand whether writing down those tasks needing completion in the coming days (to-do list) versus writing down the tasks that had already been completed was more beneficial for getting to sleep. The outcome of a completed study found that those who wrote their to-do list for 5 minutes before bedtime fell asleep significantly faster than those who reflected on what had been completed. 1
So, how do we bring both together?
I would suggest planning your tasks for the following day before leaving work, and then, if you do struggle with sleep, review and refine that list before sleeping. And if you do happen to wake through the night with a whirring mind, make sure you jot down the thoughts to get them out of mind so you can get back into sleep.
Ray
PS. If you enjoyed this piece, please let me know by clicking the heart, and if this works for you (or doesn’t), I’d love to know in the coming days and weeks.
ray@rayhodge.com.au; www.rayhodge.com.au; +61 403 341 105
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*Photo by Tim Mossholder
Scullin, M. K., Krueger, M. L., Ballard, H. K., Pruett, N., & Bliwise, D. L. (2018). The effects of bedtime writing on difficulty falling asleep: A polysomnographic study comparing to-do lists and completed activity lists. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 147(1), 139–146. https://doi.org/10.1037/xge0000374