When taking a break from work, especially in this COVID situation, it always feels as if you’re not really off from work, or it feels as if there’s no point being away from work. But I deeply disagree with that, because there’s too much of a clash, from too many things. The compartmentalized part of my brain sees it as a constantly overflow. The box holding work and time commitments is continually being over filled, and never cleared, because there really hasn’t been a time to break properly.
So my biggest tip for taking leave during the pandemic is to cut all notifications.
In the most current iOS updates, there’s a Focus modes, where you can choose who can contact you, what apps can send you push notifications, and the list goes on. So I am currently completely uncontactable. I mean you could send me things, but I’m not going to see it at all.
This is great for someone like me who has a big problem seeing that red dot on my notifications. I literally will clear all texts just to have that red button gone. Perhaps I should really reconsider how often I check my phone as well, but there are times when I’m needed to respond for time sensitive occasions, so I leave it on. But in the time to come, it will definitely be off.
My mental work boxes are starting to clear up, I’m getting a better sense of clarity of what and how much I’ve been taken up by, and how much more I want to let go off in the coming year. I’m planning handovers, and getting the people working with me for my departure. Thankfully I have that time now to plan that, but key for me, I really need to plan for that time for me to leave more brain space open. I’m really filled too much to the brim right now.
Side note: Finally watched Matrix Resurrections, and I’ll definitely buy the iTunes movie version of it, and watch it a million times over and over. It’s great because of the universe it keeps expanding to, but I really wish there was more backstory into the world of the machines, like how the AniMatrix went into. I’m psyched, just wish there was more.
Gonna watch The King’s Men in a bit, will probably add that to tomorrow’s post instead.