[Competition] Wrike's Holiday Countdown 2023 - Day 1

I have 2 styles to unwind depending on how wound up I am. 

1. Mentally ok, but need to decompress - here I like to get together with friends. Have some people over and play some games. 

2. Mentally not ok - here I need some alone time with my wife, talking about life and where we are at. 

To help unwind and destress at work, I will walk to our near by Starbucks. It's nice to get outside and get a little exercise - not to mention a nice treat at the end of the walk :-) Prayer also helps me destress.

It is easy to get so busy that the day is gone by without a break.  The best way to recharge is to be sure that you take a break and that doesn't mean eating lunch at your desk.  Walk away from the computer, leave the phone at your desk and take a walk.

I like to take a 30 minute walk during my lunch break each day. It really helps to break away from the office activities for a little while and come back fresh for the afternoon. Sometimes I'll listen to music or a podcast, but I often call a friend who lives far away to catch up. 

During the day, I usually do hydration breaks... getting a cup of tea or water. I also have forced breaks to take my dog on potty walks... which even though I do not like getting interrupted, I do feel like having a dog has brought much more activity into my life!

For longer breaks, I like to read comics, spend time with my family, and most importantly, eat delicious food.

If I think of a work-related task/idea when I'm not working (whether after hours or on PTO), I add it to my phone reminders list for the date I'm returning to work so I don't think about it again until then. It reduces the mental load but ensures that I'll deal with it during work hours.

Finding a way to connect with the outside world.

Even if it's just sitting by the window having a cup of tea and looking into the garden.

My favorite thing to do to unwind is to put my devices on Do Not Disturb, go for a walk in my neighborhood, and check out all the decorations on my street. It's that time of year where every day there's more and more to look at! Happy Holidays, everyone! 

To truly disconnect, I remove all work related items. I'll even take a break from social media and do a phone free day over the holidays! There's nothing better than cuddling up with your Christmas tree and a cozy fire. Add in a Christmas movie and now we are in reset heaven! 

Check the boxes of my day's to-do-list, to aware of where to start from the nextday. 
Run down some gists with my spouse and know how her day has been aswell.
help out in the kitchen to get dinner ready for the family and play some Christian tunes.
Watch the newspapers headline on skynews at 10:00-10:30pm
Alexa turn off bedroom 1 light.

I like to travel to recharge.  A long drive through the mountains or country is ideal to keep me visually stimulated while listening to podcasts or recorded books.  Playing video games or the piano also helps me to clear my mind and focus on relaxing.

Binge watch true crime. :)

I add an upcoming OOO message to my email signature to alert internal and external customers of my upcoming time out of office.  Where I can, get a backup to handle any urgent items that may come up during a very active project.  Ensure that Support team contact information is in my out of office message to handle any day to day items not requiring me. 

I typically try to put down the phone after work and play some music. Great way to destress and shift my mental focus from work to family!

To truly unwind, I don't look at anything work-related. Time with our families is limited and we should treasure that time. Work will be there when the time off is over. You can't get back the time with your family/loved ones, so I focus on that. I also make it a focus to take care of myself. My mental health is important and being able to do the things that make me happiest during time off is important too.

• Walk outside without any electronics at all.
• Play with my dog like I did when I was a little kid - on the floor, making silly noises, etc.
• Play cards with family - no electronics allowed.

As a Project Manager for a website building & digital marketing team, I'm crazy busy all day every day (thank God for Wrike to keep us all organized), but I have learned no matter how busy the day is, it's better for everyone (me, my team & our clients!) if I shut my laptop and take an hourlong lunchtime walk. If I just need to quickly clear my head, I'll grab one of my cats and step out on the porch for some fresh air while the cats watch the birds. Happy Holidays! :)

Go fish. 

During the workday I utilize breathing exercises which helps to calm and re-focus. I listen to music and/or play some songs on my guitar after work for the best (and quickest) way to relax! Music soothes my soul. Happy Holidays everyone!

Deep breath and change the room. Short walk to the bathroom or kitchen.

• Turn off my email/Slack notifications
• Take my dog for a walk
• Turn on my favorite music (Taylor Swift of course) ;) 
• Take a ride on the Peloton
• Clean the house, the fresh/tidy environment makes me feel calm. 

For me, work is fun and I always need to be busy with something.  I can't just sit there and do nothing.  For sure, I'll have my to do list from work all checked and my emails done to have a clear mind not forgetting to set up the out of Office auto answer.  I'll make a big cleaning of my workspace to set it up to do other kind of fun work like creating designs for my laser cutter/engraver or to plan D&D games with my friends, my son and daughter and their friends.  I'll be painting mini figures and maybe design some of my own to 3d print after.  My way of getting out of this busy world is to go hicking in Quebec's winter forests with my dog, a big 150 pounds Leonberger ;).

turn off notifications from phone. 

Take time off to be with my family. Embrace the chaos of the holidays and enjoy the extra time with my kids. 

I completely clear my desk at home (laptops powered down + away) and listen to music. 

Lately, it's been Christmas-y jazz, cooking cozy meals, and getting as many family snuggles as possible! 

Here are some strategies I have used for my holiday / vacation schedules:

• Plan in advance and try to schedule time off early.
• Assign tasks and responsibilities to members of my team during my absence and designate a point of contact for urgent matters.
• Turn off notifications and lock laptop in a hard-to-reach location. 
• Make sure process and training materials are updated and available for team. 
• Before leaving, prioritize tasks and projects to ensure that the most critical ones are addressed.
• Inform clients and key stakeholders about my holiday schedule in advance. Let them know who to contact for assistance during my absence.
• Set Out-of-Office Message with alternative contacts that can address urgent matters. 
• Most important one, prioritize my family because the work will still be there when I return. 

Happy Holidays. 

Making extra time to spend with family and just playing games or sharing meals.

I consider a little unwind anything that connects with other ppl. Sometimes that's buying snacks for the department, or just asking a coworker about their weekend plans. I like unwinding by helping others.

I move away from my desk, computer, and work phone for a little meditation session.  This helps declutter my mind and makes for better concentration.