How to Stop Thinking About Work on Weekends

Finding it hard to unplug from work on the weekends? If you find yourself checking emails, thinking about project deadlines or that one task with loose ends, you’re not the only one. A survey of 2,000 millennials found that two in three had difficulty unplugging, and over half (59%) had a hard time truly relaxing. Meanwhile, Gen Z has some of the highest reported rates of burnout.

While it’s important to care about work, you should also aim for a healthy work-life balance, which means relaxing and enjoying your weekends. This may sound easier said than done, but implementing some personality-based strategies (using your workplace personality, a.k.a your DISC type) may help you overcome the dreaded weekend work-brain.

How to Log Off On Weekends, Based on Your DISC Type

Each primary DISC type — Drive, Influence, Support and Clarity — approaches work differently, which means they also stress about work differently. Identifying what makes you anxious when you’re off the clock is the first step to overcoming your habit of thinking about work during your valuable free time. Start by taking a free DISC personality assessment, if you haven’t already.  Knowing your DISC type will give you insight into your natural work style, what triggers your stress and the habits you fall into when work is top of mind.

These simple, type-specific tips can help you train your mind to “log off” from work and finally enjoy your weekend to the fullest. 

Disc Types: Set Weekend Goals 

Drive types are challenge-focused, results-driven and thrive by setting goals. Unfortunately, that means you might ruminate about your unfinished tasks on the weekend, or have difficulty stopping yourself from picking up extra work, answering emails or looking for something to do to get ahead on your work week. Luckily, you can use your love of goal-setting to your advantage.

Weekend tip: Set a weekend goal that isn’t work-related. Treat your downtime as a relaxation challenge or work on projects at home that are still productive but are unrelated to your job.

Some ideas to get started:

• Create a fun, competitive board game night with friends and family.
• Train for a 5K or some other fitness goal.
• Take on that weekend home project, such as improving your backyard or organizing your living space.
• Engage in hobbies that mean something to you, like weekend backpacking trips, competitive sports or personal development.  

Bonus tips:

• Try scheduling your free time to make it feel like a work meeting (only your schedule will be fun!).
• Avoid checking emails or work chats.
• Spend time with people who help you feel connected.

Influence Types: Focus on Fun Social Plans

You’re an energetic, social butterfly. Influence types inspire others and love connecting with people, especially at work. When you feel isolated on weekends, your craving for connection might lead you to think about your upcoming work week instead of enjoying your time off. You miss the networking and social aspects of work when they’re not there. 

Weekend tip: Fill your social calendar. This doesn’t mean doing a networking event for work, because that isn’t exactly unplugging. So skip the shop talk and schedule meetups with friends, game nights or weekend hikes, games or movie nights with people you care about. Make sure these activities are fun, and don’t overload yourself if you feel too stressed.

Some ideas to get started:

• Try a new class (painting, pottery, glassblowing or rock climbing) with a friend who inspires you. 
• Take a walk, hike or backpacking trip with your best friends.
• Meet new people in a fun setting. Try something like bar hopping, a course unrelated to work or a mingling event.
• Join a social sport or group fitness class.
• Have a house party or a neighborhood block party.

Bonus tips:

• Find a creative outlet that occupies (and recharges) you.
• Put your phone on Airplane mode and/or mute notifications.
• Create a weekend ritual that you look forward to, such as starting your day with meditation, a walk or reading. Discover things that make you feel relaxed and unplugged.

Support Types: Make Your Weekends Comforting

As a Support type, you tend to worry about the people you work with and feel the urge to solve people-focused problems. This could mean you’re worried about letting your team or boss down if you switch off at the weekend. But you need to focus on yourself sometimes, to stay healthy, happy and stress-free.  

Weekend tip: Create comforting weekend rituals. What speaks to you and calms your nervous system? Maybe it’s a walk, a lazy Sunday brunch, self-care or journaling. Or perhaps you prefer video games, coffee with friends or movie nights. Whatever it is, find the activities that calm, comfort and recharge your batteries, so you don’t spend your entire weekend worrying about your clients or work crew.

Some ideas to get started:

• Try morning walks in nature, personal growth journaling or diving into your favorite book for a re-read. 
• Spend time with your family and close friends, while avoiding people who require too much of you emotionally (and thus, stress you out).
• Connect with loved ones over family dinners.
• Try practicing meditation, affirmations or self-development work to remind yourself that you’re important, too.

Bonus tips:

• Set clear boundaries for a better work-life balance. (Do you really need to answer the phone if your boss calls?)
• Invest in yourself by using your free time to focus on yourself. Pursue your hobbies, enroll in a weekend class you’ve always wanted to take or reignite a routine you used to enjoy.
• Practice mindfulness and focus on the moment. Don’t feel the need to people-please, just to fill your weekend with productivity.

Clarity Types: Make a Holding List for Monday

Clarity types are logical, detail-oriented and conscientious in the workplace. This translates into you working hard to do everything just right. Outside the office, you have a tendency to play back details to double-check that you performed perfectly during their workweek. When things aren’t finished or feel imperfect, you get majorly stressed and ruminate about potential solutions. But you can also use your conscientious brain to keep the stress away on weekends.

Weekend tip: Create a “holding place” for your Monday tasks. Write down any incomplete tasks, thoughts, concerns or problems you want to address over your next workweek. Organize the list so you can easily read it on Monday, then forget about it. Look at it as a way of banishing your thoughts and allowing yourself a weekend free of work worries. Work can wait until Monday.

Some ideas to get started:

• Your list can take any form — a detailed spreadsheet or simple lined paper. Try using categories like “tasks,” “thoughts” and “questions.” 
• After writing your list, give yourself an inner mantra. Try something like, “I deserve to enjoy my weekend, and I won’t worry about loose ends until Monday.”
• Tell your co-workers and boss you can address any concerns next week, and don’t fall prey to quick office trips (unless absolutely necessary).
• If it helps, write a weekend “to-do” list that speaks to your detail-oriented self, but focuses on tasks, hobbies and interests unrelated to work.

Bonus tips:

• If you work from home, ensure you have a work-free zone to avoid thinking about work. Experts recommend keeping your bedroom for sleeping only, for example, rather than using it as a pseudo-office.
• Channel your energy into puzzles, strategy games or something else that gets your mind focused and engaged.
• If you socialize, focus on small, intimate groups of people you’re close to, rather than larger groups that will drain your energy. (And it’s best to avoid co-workers, if you can, since that will ignite the shop talk and work-brain all over again.)

Keep Your Weekends Yours 

No matter what your DISC type is, learning how to mentally “clock out” on the weekends is important for your work-life balance. Thinking about work all weekend will leave you stressed before you start your workweek and may increase your chances of developing burnout. Once you understand the key things that stress you out at work, you can learn to let go of work thoughts, then redirect your energy into something that revitalizes you. Come Monday, you’ll feel refreshed, have better focus and will perform better since you weren’t feeling plugged in all weekend.