5 Practical Ways to Leave Work at Work

Sometimes I find myself unable to make the time for personal devotion, prayer, or family as the undone tasks and deadlines from my day job loom overhead. I have even found myself sitting in Church, unable to focus or at home not listening to my wife as she tells me about her day. My mind often defaults back to the office. The stresses of work can be a constant weight upon the shoulders and eat up our time and energy.

Why leave work at work?

We have been saved by God for good works. “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10). We have been called to good works as new creations in Christ. Many of these works involve the prioritizing of our families and church. We should seek to bear burdens and encourage each other on Sundays and minister to our families at home. However, we cannot effectively love and serve in these ways if we are consistently having to work when we should be with our family or church. Therefore, it is vital we repent of overworking and strive toward leaving work at work.

I work in the operations finance sector of the professional world, so I understand all too well the stress that deadlines and overwhelming projects can cause. What I want to provide here are five practical ways I have learned that can help you keep your work life in check and eternal things at the front. Now, there are many aspects to this discussion and I cannot address every unique scenario here. You must practice wisdom when evaluating how these relate to your specific situation. However, it is my hope that you are able to take all or some of these practical tips and implement them in your own life as you strive to prioritize the things that matter most.

1. Get Organized

In order to properly balance your work against your personal life, you need some sort of system that allows you to separate the two. How many times have you had to work late because of a deadline you forgot, or spent the day doing tasks that were not a top priority? Perhaps you have been so distracted by the mountain of unorganized tasks that you are not mentally present at home. These senarios can be practically solved by getting organized. I have found that using a notebook, note taking software, and task management software, is a great way to stay organized and on task.

When I am in a meeting I take notes, transfer them to a computer software like Evernote, and they are stored for me. I do not have to worry about forgetting my notebook or anything discussed because I transferred it all online. The same is true for tasks. Any time I have a new action item or thing to get done, I put it in my task management software (Todoist) and set a priority level. This way, I can come into work every day and see what I need to get done and do it, checking items off as I go. Then, when I sign off at night, I know that all of my notes are organized and tasks put in the system so I do not need to think about it again till tomorrow.

You do not have to follow the system I use, but you do need some systematic method of keeping your thoughts, notes, files, and projects organized. Do not rely on your brain to do it all, it cannot!

I highly recommend Tim Challies' book, “Do More Better”. It was a instrumental for me and taught me the system described above.

2. Redeem the Time

When at work, work! Something I have been guilty of is not doing my work while I am at the office. It’s easy to get caught up chatting, taking longer lunch outings, or distracted surfing Facebook. Remember, however, that our employer doesn’t pay our salaries for us to engage in these activities, and God calls us to be obedient and faithful workers. Having work friends, and lunch outings are a good gift, but we need to make sure we are prioritizing our time and obeying the command to work for our employer as unto the Lord. “Obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ” (Colossians 3:22-24).

Making sure we stay on task while on the clock ensures we aren’t stealing time. It also allows us to use the time we have set aside for work instead of bringing it to the dining room.

3. Turn Off the Phone

Once in a mentorship meeting with a VP of Human Resources, I was given some advice that has stuck with me: “when you get home every day, turn the phone off before dinner”. There are always scenarios in which you may need to be reached after you’ve left the office, or emails you need to check, but make sure you always get unplugged at a designated time every night. It does not have to be before dinner (though I advise against being on your phone at the table), but there should be a daily time of being unavailable to your job, and fully available to your family.

There is always tomorrow, Lord willing, to answer that text or call. You shouldn’t be afraid of establishing a firm line between your personal and professional life. There is nothing wrong with separating from your work when God calls you to be present with your family or church. Be faithful in your work to your employer, but obey God chiefly.

4. Reduce the Workload

A pitfall we all are susceptible to is thinking that we have to take everything into our own hands if we want it done right. Our mistrust in the ability of others can lead us to taking on way more work than we can possibly handle. This thinking is antithetical to how God designed the world to operate. God is triune and in perfect community with himself. Being made in His image, we too are meant to be in community, and that community is designed to help one another. There is no lone-wolf Christianity and we shouldn’t carry a “lone-wolf” mentality with us at work.

Take a look at your current workload, daily responsibilities, and open tasks. Are there things you could delegate to others? Maybe one of your teammates can take a task, or maybe you need to move it to another department. Get out of the solo mindset and realize that if you try to do everything yourself, you will do nothing in the end. Unnecessary workloads are one of the biggest factors that contribute to overworking, so limit the scope of your work to what you can handle and can be done in a workday. Reduce your workload at the office and you will reduce the workload being brought home.

5. Communicate

There are times when none of the practical steps mentioned can help us unplug at home. In these cases, you need to communicate your situation with your manager, or if they won’t listen, their manager. Let them know how large your workload is and how often you are putting in overtime. Ask them to work with you on delegating tasks, limiting your responsibilities, or even looking at other roles within the company.

Your employer wants you to be productive and here for the long haul. It costs them greatly when long time employees burn out and can no longer add the value they once did. Companies will want to work with you to ensure you are in a place where you feel you can perform and serve them best. So, don’t be afraid to speak up and call for help when you need it.

When you just can’t …

When you just can't reduce your workload, turn off the phone, or get your managers to listen it may be an indication you need to find another job. Remember that your priority is your family and church. If your job is constantly getting in the way of that, and no solutions seem to work, you should consider whether you can truly fulfill the calling God has placed on you in your current role.

Pray with your spouse, pastor, and friends to discern the best decision to make given your circumstances. There is no "one-size fits all" but those closest to you will be able to help you best. Seek first the kingdom, and trust in Him when he promises to provide for you as you obey his commands.

Further Study

For further study on the ideas and concepts discussed in this article, please refer to the resources below:

Do More Better by Tim Challies

Ploductivity: A Practical Theology of Work & Wealth by Douglas Wilson