First off, a huge thank you to everyone that voted in the poll! There were votes for all the categories and a tie between:

🛁 💼 Self-Care + Work-Life Harmony
👥 💬 Team Collaboration + Communication

So I'll lean a bit heavier in these two topics this fall but you'll also see the other topics worked in as well.

Most of the world still goes to work in-person and commutes to and from at least a few days a week. [1]​
​
Which means millions of people who used to commute daily now don't.

​And let's be clear, having a commute can absolutely add stress to your day and is by no means a break. Just ask anyone commuting the the DC metro (or any other metro at this point really).

​For us knowledge workers though, a commute gives a built-in gap between work and home for the brain to start to transition.

​So now, not only are more people working remotely, but remote workers get back 55 minutes per day on average.

​Which is amazing, yet 40% of people use that time to work more. [2]​

​So what's missing?

​In psychology, there is a boundary management strategy called "role-clarifying prospection" which essentially means:​

Thinking about the hat you're about to wear, before you put it on.​

Lots of us already do this already and may not realize it.

Take a moment and reflect: Do you...

☕️ Check your calendar or to-do list for the day while having your morning coffee
🚿 Mentally run through your day's schedule while in the shower?
🍽️ Prioritize tasks in your head while making breakfast?

All of these are examples of thinking about what you'll do before you do it.

We can use this boundary management strategy even more intentionally though.

Using it to create transitions that help reduce stress, improve job satisfaction, and in my opinion are vital for those of us where home and work spaces overlap.

So this week...

While remote work is associated with less stress, it's important to note that full-time remote work without boundaries is resulting in increased presenteeism - working while unwell (something I myself can be guilty of). [3]​

​If you don't intentionally create boundaries and time to transition, it won't happen when working remotely.

​Let's dig in and talk about how you can create intentional and flexible rituals to create the context cues for your mind and body as you move between work and personal activities.

3 Mental Exercises
+
2 Physical Actions
+
1 Symbolic Gesture
=
Transition

The goal of this formula is that you can take these principles and apply them to any situation where you need to create a transition - whether that's getting ready for work, shutting down for the day, or for my neurospicy folks who struggle with room transitions and abrupt changes.

​Below are some examples for each of the 3-2-1 to get you started on building your transitions:

​Choose 3 Mental Exercises:

Choose 2 Physical Actions:

​Choose 1 Symbolic Gestures:

 Now that we have some ideas, here's a few examples of my own transitions:

You can do the 6 items in this formula in the order that best suits your needs. You can see here that I move things around in all three transitions examples.

These end up being my role-clarifying moments. Using the boundary strategy we discussed earlier to transition from the different roles I hold during the day - consultant, cook, exerciser, sleeper, driver, spouse, dog mom, etc.

Your rituals are adaptable processes. This means that they can and will change over time as your needs do. A transition ritual during a work trip outside your home may need to look different than your day-to-day ritual. Rituals at 25 will look different than at 35 (and should)!

This formula is here as a guide so you can put together a transition that is built just for you. And when it needs to adapt, revisit the formula to build a new one. 🫶

My reflective birthday season has rolled into a reflective fall.

​This October will mark the 3 year point in my burnout recovery journey. (For reference, recovery is said to take 3-5 years).

​Recovering from burnout requires a choice every day, sometimes multiple times a day.

​You choose different habits.
Different thought processes.
And you choose it again and again.
Day after day.

Until it becomes a part of your nature.

​But it never gets easier, it just gets less hard.

​I've always believed that burnout prevention was essential but truly the most important takeaway I have from burnout recovery is that...

​Burnout prevention is everything. ​

Because every thing I do today is one step towards preventing burnout tomorrow.

Here's a few ways you can let me know:

Option 1: 💌 Share with a fellow creative or business owner. Community starts with each of us and friends don't let friends chase their dreams at the expense of their mental health! If you know someone seeking more sustainability and harmony in their life and/or business, send this their way.

Option 2: 👋 Say hi! Hit reply and share a sentence or two about anything you enjoyed or hit home for you. I always hope these words find the right people at the right time, but it's always makes my day to hear from you!