Episode 19: Smart Habits for Delineating Your Workday

We hope that the topic of today’s episode is relevant not just for translators or interpreters, but for all freelancers! While we are used to working from home, we know that it's been an especially stressful time during the COVID-19 pandemic to delineate between work and personal time.

In this episode, we talk about different ways to delineate your work day—not in a general sense of setting boundaries, like we discussed in Episode 1 on Work/Life Balance, but specifically how to signal to yourself that your work day has come to an end— and how to shift from work mode to after-work mode, your time to rest and recharge.

This topic was a request from our listener and colleague Emily Safrin, who also happens to be the winner of our giveaway! A huge thanks to everyone who participated, and congratulations to Emily on winning a one-on-one financial mentoring session with Susie Jackson. We hope to do more fun events like this in the future to thank you, our listeners, for your support.

Back to the topic of delineating your work day… Since the pandemic began, many of us have had to deal with a disrupted schedule, care for kids or other family members, and work different hours than we’re used to working. It's more important than ever to think about different ways to draw the line between work and personal time, ways to end the work day and decompress.

Here is a summary of our conversation:

- Our own struggles related to delineating when the work day starts and when it ends

- What you can do at the end of your work day to set yourself up for success for the following day

- Why clearing your office space, desk, or computer from clutter may be helpful

- How you can use the timer method recommended by Matt Baird in Episode 18

- Mindful ways to transition from work mode to rest mode with the help of exercise, reading, music, or creative hobbies

- Our thoughts on the Workday Shutdown Ritual in the Full Focus Planner

- Why visual cues can be helpful in establishing your own Workday Shutdown Ritual

- What you can change about your physical environment to relax and get ready to rest

- Why self-reflection, acts of kindness, or help offered to colleagues or clients can be the perfect way to end the day on a high note

Resources we mentioned in this episode:

Amanda Calvin’s website and Instagram account

Episode 1: Work/Life Clarity

Episode 17: Coping With Quiet Work Periods

Episode 18: Creating a Four-Day Work Week with Matt Baird

Full Focus Planner

Episode 14: Smart Habits during Social Isolation: A Special Episode with Sara Maria Hasbun

How to post a podcast review on Apple Podcasts

On June 9th, we’ll be sending our email subscribers a summary of this episode with a link to the show notes so you can quickly find all the resources that we mentioned.

Our next episode will be available on June 16th. Our colleague Corinne McKay will be talking about smart habits for creating professional partnerships, and we can’t wait to share this episode with you!