Anyone else feel like work and home are just bleeding together?

Dec 241 min read

Used to be I'd leave the office and that was it - work brain switched off. Now WFH 4 days/week and I literally can't turn it off. Having dinner with my family but mentally reviewing emails. Helping my 5yo with homework while thinking about a project deadline.

I'm not really present anywhere. And when I'm "done" with work (the door closes at 6pm), I'm already checked out from family stuff.

Is this just the new normal? Or am I doing something wrong?

12 comments467 views

Comments(12)

NNick G.RegularDec 24

This is the WFH trap. You're always 5 seconds away from your laptop so your brain never fully clocks out. I started a rule where I literally leave my office room at 5pm and close the door.

BBrad H.RegularDec 24

Have you tried actually closing Slack and email on your phone after hours? I know it sounds simple but the notifications keep pulling you back in. Gotta actually remove the temptation.

CChuck M.RegularDec 25

The mental switching is the killer. Used to have a commute that was basically a decompression chamber. Now I'm in meetings until 5:01 and somehow I'm supposed to be Dad Brain by 5:05

BBrad N.RegularDec 25

The email review during dinner thing hits hard. My wife started calling me out on it and I realized I was there physically but completely gone mentally.

MMarvin T.RegularDec 26

This. My work phone goes in a drawer. Phone, not laptop, but same principle. If it's not in front of my face I can't obsess over it.

CCarlos M.New DadDec 25

WFH was supposed to fix this but honestly it made it worse. Now the office is literally 20 feet from the dinner table. I feel you.

MMatt D.RegularDec 25

The mental switching costs are real. Some days I feel like I'm in two places at once and fully present in neither. It's exhausting.

CChris R.RegularDec 25

This is exactly why I had to get actual walls between my workspace and living space. Sounds silly but your brain needs that boundary even if it's just a closed door.

TTerrence J.RegularDec 26

Have you tried actually closing your email app 20 mins before family time? Sounds dumb but the anxiety about "what if something urgent" keeps your brain half-in.

MMitch R.RegularDec 26

Yo same. My wife called me out last week - I was literally checking my phone during a board game with the kids. She was right to be mad. Still struggling with it though.

CCole B.RegularDec 26

The second you sit down your brain's still doing spreadsheets. I started leaving my laptop in a different room after 5pm. Not perfect but helps reset the switch.

JJames H.RegularDec 26

Yep same issue here. The worst part is my kids can tell when I'm not really present even if I'm sitting right there. Started setting a timer for work hours and I physically remove myself from the house for like 30 min after so my brain resets