Why a fake commute could pave the way to work-from-home balance

When we don’t psychologically detach from work, we risk becoming exhausted and burned out, says Samantha Pieknik, a licensed clinical psychologist in Phoenix. “We’ve lost that time to sit with ourselves and shake everything off from the day,” she says. “We’re working at home and we’re sleeping at work, and it’s really confusing for our brains.”AD

A fake commute, however, can help you reclaim that precious transition time and reestablish the boundaries that have been blurred from working from home, something that Giza has learned. He now “commutes” about 100 miles per week. Before adopting the practice, “I didn’t have the usual time to clear my head,” he says, which made it difficult to be focused while he was in work mode or fully present when he was in home mode.

Of course, a fake commute doesn’t have to involve biking. You can walk, meditate, stretch or listen to an audiobook, though Jachimowicz notes the practice is a “luxury” and might not be possible for everyone, such as the parents of young children.

Read the article at The Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/wellness/fake-commute-home-work-transition-/2021/02/22/49f79d56-6cb7-11eb-9f80-3d7646ce1bc0_story.html