How to Switch Off After Work When You Run Your Own Business

Running your own business can be incredibly rewarding. You have the freedom to make your own decisions, build something of your own and create a lifestyle that works for you.

But there’s a downside that many business owners know all too well.

You finish work, close your laptop and head home, but your brain doesn’t get the memo.

You’re thinking about the client you need to call tomorrow, the invoice that hasn’t been paid, the problem with an employee, or that important decision you’ve been putting off. Perhaps you’re even mentally rehearsing a difficult conversation or worrying about whether you’ve made the right business decision.

Sound familiar?

You might be sitting down to dinner with your family, watching television or trying to enjoy some downtime, but mentally you’re still at work.

Your partner might even say something like, “You’re here, but you’re not really here.”

I’ve heard this from many business owners I’ve worked with. They can’t stop thinking about work, even when they’re at home with the people who matter most. And it’s not surprising. When you own a business, the responsibility doesn’t necessarily stop when you leave the office.

The problem is that if you never properly switch off, you never give yourself the opportunity to recharge. Over time, this can take a toll on your health, your relationships, and your business.

So how do you switch off from work at night and get your evenings back?

In short, give your working day a clear finish, write down anything still on your mind, and put a deliberate break between work and home. Be stricter about what really counts as urgent, and question the beliefs that keep you working. If you still can’t switch off, the way your business is set up may be the real problem.

These practical strategies will help you leave work at work and enjoy your personal time again. Experiment with what works for you and your specific situation.

1. Recognise that being constantly switched on isn’t productive

One of the biggest misconceptions among business owners is that thinking about work all the time is somehow a sign of commitment.

You might feel that if you’re not constantly thinking ahead, solving problems or checking what’s happening in the business, you’re not doing enough.

But there’s a difference between being committed to your business and allowing it to consume your life.

Your brain needs downtime. You need time to relax, enjoy yourself and focus on things that have absolutely nothing to do with work.

Psychologists call this psychological detachment – switching off mentally from work in your own time. In one study, people who detached from work in the evening reported better mood and less fatigue. The link with fatigue was strongest on days with high time pressure (Sonnentag & Bayer, 2005).

In other words, switching off matters most on the days you feel you can least afford it.

The reverse is true too. A review of the research found that people who struggle to detach from work are more likely to experience strain, burnout and lower life satisfaction (Sonnentag & Fritz, 2015).

Taking time away from work doesn’t mean you’re neglecting your business. In fact, giving yourself time to recharge can help you return with greater clarity, perspective and energy.

You are one of the most important assets in your business. Looking after yourself is part of running the business. It’s very hard to look after your family and your team if you’re suffering yourself.  

2. Create an end-of-day shutdown ritual

One of the most effective ways to switch off is to establish a consistent routine at the end of your working day.

Rather than simply closing your laptop and walking away, spend the last 10-15 minutes deliberately bringing your working day to a close.

I recommend four steps:

• Review what you’ve accomplished. Take a moment to acknowledge what you’ve achieved, rather than focusing exclusively on what remains unfinished.
• Schedule tomorrow’s priorities. Identify the most important things you want to tackle next. You don’t need to remember everything when you’ve written it down.
• Close any outstanding loops. Send that last important email, save the document you’ve been working on or make a note of something that needs following up.
• Tidy your workspace. Put things away and physically close your laptop.

The idea is to create a clear distinction between work time and personal time.

When you know what’s been done, what’s outstanding and what needs your attention tomorrow, there’s less reason for your brain to keep going over everything during the evening.

Psychologists call this nagging the Zeigarnik effect – unfinished tasks stay active in your mind. In a series of studies, E.J. Masicampo and Roy Baumeister found you don’t have to finish a task to quieten it. Making a specific plan for when and how you’ll deal with it was enough (Masicampo & Baumeister, 2011).

Create your own shutdown ritual and stick to it. Over time, it becomes a signal that the working day is finished.

3. Create a physical transition between work and home

This is particularly important if you work from home.

One of the challenges of running a business from home is that the boundaries between work and personal life can become blurred. Your office might be just a few steps away from the kitchen or living room.

It’s very easy to finish a task, wander into another room and then suddenly find yourself back at your desk checking emails.

Your brain needs some physical cues to help it switch modes.

Try introducing a simple transition activity between work and personal time.

For example:

• Change out of your work clothes.
• Go for a 15-minute walk.
• Listen to music or a podcast.
• Move to a different part of the house.
• Do something physical that takes your attention away from work.

You don’t need anything complicated. The important thing is to create a deliberate break between the two parts of your day.

Think of it as your personal commute, even if you don’t actually travel anywhere.

4. Get those work thoughts out of your head

Another simple technique can make a big difference.

Keep a notepad handy during your personal time.

When work thoughts inevitably pop into your head, rather than trying to suppress them or mentally work through them, simply write them down.

For example:

• Call the accountant about the tax issue.
• Follow up with the supplier.
• Review the sales figures.
• Think about how to deal with the staffing problem.

Once you’ve written something down, you can let it go, knowing it’s captured and you can deal with it later.

The reason this works is that you no longer need to keep reminding yourself not to forget something.

Researchers at Baylor University tested something similar in a sleep lab. People who spent five minutes writing a to-do list before bed fell asleep about nine minutes faster than people who wrote about what they’d already done. And the more specific the list, the faster they fell asleep (Scullin et al., 2018).

So make each note specific. “Phone accountant about GST return” rather than just “tax”.

You’re effectively telling your brain: “I’ve got that covered. I don’t need to deal with it right now.”

Of course, writing something down won’t automatically make every work-related thought disappear. But it can help you stop getting caught up in a continuous cycle of thinking, worrying and problem-solving.

5. Stop treating everything as urgent

This is a big one.

Many business owners operate in a constant state of urgency. There’s always something that needs doing, someone who needs an answer or another problem that needs solving.

But is everything really that urgent?

Often, the answer is no.

When you treat every email, phone call and request as something that requires immediate attention, you create a business that constantly demands your attention.

You also train the people around you to expect an immediate response.

Start questioning whether something genuinely needs your attention right now or whether it can wait until tomorrow.

Set some boundaries around checking emails and answering calls outside working hours. Let people know when you’re available and when you’re not.

Of course, there will be genuine emergencies from time to time. That’s part of running a business. But an occasional emergency shouldn’t become an everyday expectation.

The more you can distinguish between what’s genuinely urgent and what’s simply demanding your attention, the easier it becomes to switch off.

6. Challenge the thinking that keeps you working

Sometimes the biggest obstacle to switching off is the way you think about your business.

You might find yourself having thoughts like:

• “I should be doing more.”
• “If I’m not keeping an eye on things, something will go wrong.”
• “I can’t relax until everything is finished.”
• “Nobody else can do this as well as I can.”
• “I should be available whenever someone needs me.”

These thoughts can create a tremendous amount of unnecessary pressure.

The problem is, if you believe you must finish everything before you can relax, you’ll probably never relax!

There’s always another task, another opportunity or another problem waiting around the corner.

Try questioning these assumptions.

Is it really necessary for you to be available 24/7? Does everything have to be done today? Are you genuinely the only person capable of handling that particular task?

Sometimes we create our own stress through unrealistic expectations and unhelpful thinking habits.

You don’t have to believe every thought that pops into your head. Learning to recognise and challenge unhelpful thinking patterns is an important part of managing stress and building resilience.

This is the basis of cognitive behavioural coaching. I trained in it with Professor Stephen Palmer of the Centre for Coaching in London, when he came to New Zealand to teach. It’s a core part of my coaching programs, because the thinking that stops you switching off is often the same thinking that holds the business back.

7. Make your personal life a priority

I often ask business owners this question:

What are you actually working so hard for?

Most people start a business because they want something more from life. Perhaps it’s financial freedom, greater flexibility, more time with family, the opportunity to pursue their interests or simply the satisfaction of building something meaningful.

But somewhere along the way, the business can become the very thing that prevents them from enjoying those benefits.

Work expands to fill the available time, and personal interests, relationships, health and relaxation get pushed further down the priority list.

It’s important to be intentional about this.

Schedule time for the things you enjoy, just as you would schedule an important business meeting.

It might be spending quality time with your partner, taking the kids out, exercising, meeting friends, pursuing a hobby or simply enjoying a quiet evening without feeling that you should be doing something productive.

Don’t wait until you’ve finished everything at work before giving yourself permission to enjoy life.

That day might never come.

8. Look at the bigger picture: Is your business working for you?

The strategies above can help you make a better transition between work and personal time. But sometimes there’s a bigger issue that needs addressing.

If you consistently struggle to switch off, it might be a sign that the way your business is structured, or the way you’re managing it, needs to change.

Perhaps too much responsibility rests on your shoulders. Maybe you’re involved in too many day-to-day decisions, spending too much time firefighting or struggling to prioritise the things that really matter.

You might have built a successful business, but have you built one that gives you the lifestyle you actually want?

This is something I explore with business owners through my business owner coaching.

The focus isn’t simply on working fewer hours. It’s about getting clarity around what you want from your business and your life, identifying what’s getting in the way and developing practical strategies to make things work better.

That includes looking at business structure and operations, mindset, time management, life balance, and health and energy. I set out this approach, including the 3 Pillars of business, life balance and health, in my book “The Unstoppable Business Owner“.

The goal is to move away from constantly working for your business and towards having a business that works for you.

Final thoughts

Switching off after work when you run your own business isn’t always easy. There’s a lot of responsibility that comes with being the person ultimately accountable for everything.

But being a business owner shouldn’t mean sacrificing your health, relationships and personal happiness.

Start with a few simple changes. Establish an end-of-day shutdown routine, create a physical transition between work and home, capture your work thoughts on paper and become more intentional about protecting your personal time.

And if you find that you’re still struggling to switch off, take a closer look at what’s driving that feeling. It might be time to make some changes to the way you’re running your business.

Remember, the point of building a successful business is to create a business and a life you genuinely enjoy.

Your business should work for you, not the other way around.

FAQ

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Are you heading towards business owner burnout?

If you’re constantly thinking about work, feeling overwhelmed or struggling to enjoy life outside your business, it’s worth taking a closer look at what’s going on.

I’ve created a free 2-minute Burnout Audit to help you assess where you’re at.

It only takes two minutes and could be a useful first step towards getting your business and your life back on track.

Kris de Jong
Eclipse Life Coaching

References

Masicampo, E. J., & Baumeister, R. F. (2011). Consider it done! Plan making can eliminate the cognitive effects of unfulfilled goals. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 101(4), 667-683. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0024192

Scullin, M. K., Krueger, M. L., Ballard, H. K., Pruett, N., & Bliwise, D. L. (2018). The effects of bedtime writing on difficulty falling asleep: A polysomnographic study comparing to-do lists and completed activity lists. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 147(1), 139-146. https://doi.org/10.1037/xge0000374

Sonnentag, S., & Bayer, U. C. (2005). Switching off mentally: Predictors and consequences of psychological detachment from work during off-job time. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 10(4), 393-414. https://doi.org/10.1037/1076-8998.10.4.393

Sonnentag, S., & Fritz, C. (2015). Recovery from job stress: The stressor-detachment model as an integrative framework. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 36(S1), S72-S103. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.1924