Most of us know that staying productive in the office requires recharging away from it. The hard part is doing it. Even if you go home at a decent hour, you may find yourself checking email or reading one last report. To forget about what’s happening at work, focus on what you’ll do instead. Framing it the right way can help: A negative goal (“I will not check email at dinner”) may be harder to stick to than a positive one. For example, you could set up a personal training session for 5:30 PM at a gym near your office. Or you might pick up the kids at school every night this week. Or you can volunteer at a charity on the weekends. If your mind still turns to work during these activities, have a plan to bring it back to what you’re doing.
Adapted from "How to Forget About Work When You're Not Working," by Art Markman
