You’ve either just closed your laptop in your home office or put your workbag down in the entryway signaling that you’re done work for the day. First off! Yay, another day done, and more money made! Give yourself a good pat on the back for that.

Now, though, you face an ironically daunting task, something that has been increasingly difficult to do in recent years – relaxing. Social engagements, scrolling, and to-do lists seem to take up the brunt of our free time after work. While doing these tasks may seem productive, they are actually quite the opposite. Instead, having no time to intentionally unwind after your workday leads to being less productive the following day.

Yikes.

The body needs time to recuperate after the stress of a normal workday. Just like sleep is a necessary part of our overall health, so is relaxation. But don’t worry, if you feel like you haven’t been able to unwind properly, you’re not alone. We’ve scoured the interwebs and compiled all the tips and tricks you need into a handy guide to unwinding for a productive tomorrow. You deserve true rest after a full day’s work. Read this guide and you’ll know exactly how to.

What Stops You from Properly Unwinding

There are a couple of key factors that contribute to your lack of rest and relaxation when you’re home. It should be enough for us to leave our workplace – whether an office building downtown or your home office – in order to relax. However, our lives and habits often get in the way of our ability to unwind. Below are the top four things stopping you from truly resting when you get home:

Taking your work home with you

Everyone is guilty of this one. No matter whether you’re a teacher, a construction worker, or a barista we somehow manage to drag work stress home with us. Whether it’s workplace drama, new projects, or a mishap that’s still on your mind – we have a tendency to bring these things home with us to mull them over, either with ourselves or with our partners. You probably know this already, but this just isn’t helpful. Even if you feel like organizing the tasks of the next day in your head or logging in to do ‘just an hour’ of work to get ahead is helping, it truly is not. Instead, you’re clocking in way more hours of work. And not only that, but they’re also unpaid hours of work.

Saying ‘Yes’ too much

We are human. We love friends, food, and trying new things. However, saying yes and committing yourself to every social engagement will quickly drain your battery. If you’re spending all your free time from work catching the latest movie, hitting up the newest bar, or visiting friends, with little to no time for yourself, you will burn out. It’s not a question of if, but rather when.

Not properly prioritizing tasks

Tell me if this sounds familiar. You walk through the front door and the minute your shoes are off you’re thinking about cooking dinner, cleaning, doing laundry, texting your mother, and about a million other things you need to do before the day is done. That was tiring just to write. Having a long to-do list of tasks that you’ve convinced yourself are top priorities is not being productive. Instead, it leaves you in a constant state of stress and overwhelms you. Even if you’re lounging on the couch, you’ll find your mind racing at lightspeed.

Your Phone

We all know this one. We’ve been told it for nearly a decade. However, we still can’t pull our eyes away from the colorful ads, beautiful vlogs, and captivating dances. Going on your phone may feel like relaxing because you’re probably lounging around while doing it, however, your brain is still sprinting to keep up with all the data and information. Even if you’re not scrolling on social media, having your phone in your hand or even in your peripheral vision will stop you from properly unwinding.

How to Unwind Properly

Okay, now you know the four things that are getting in the way of truly unwinding at home. Now what? Below are actionable steps you can take today in order to actually rest and relax so you’re more productive tomorrow. Try them all out or take a few that stick with you.

Either way, you’ll want to integrate these behaviors into your daily life to form habits! And not just any habits, habits that will help you in the long run, physically, mentally, spiritually, and will even help further your career. Without further ado, here are 7 things you can do to properly Unwind after a long day's work:

Separate your work life from your home life.

This one will take a while to get used to as you’re literally forming new thought and behavior patterns. However, once you nail it – you will find relaxing while at home infinitely easier. Think of it like this: the minute that you leave your job, all the thoughts, feelings, and stresses stay there. You only think about them and deal with them while you’re in your workplace. Kind of like coworkers! You only see them when you’re in your workplace.

You don’t pack them away with you back home. They exist solely in the workplace (not really, but you know what I mean). You should think about work the same way. Not only will this help you properly unwind while at home, but it also makes you more productive at your job. You’re forced to solve problems and find solutions within your workday which mean more tasks are completed.

Create a Relaxing Environment to come home to

It’s no secret that living in messy, cluttered spaces isn’t great for our mental health.Keeping a tidy house provides not only a sense of accomplishment but also stops those pesky thoughts from ruminating on everything that needs to be done in and around the house. You may be asking yourself: Well, how do I keep a tidy house if I don’t have a to-do list of chores that need to be done? And you’re completely right. However, there is a simple solution. Make tidying a part of your routine. A routine is completely different than a to-do listfor several reasons.

The biggest is that a routine requires little to no thought. It’s a habit - something you do every day that is so ingrained in your brain that it’s like breathing air or brushing your teeth. Making a habit of always picking up after yourself whenever you leave a space, whether the kitchen, the living room, or your bedroom will naturally result in a tidierspace.

That means doing the dishes after cooking a meal (or even while you’re cooking the meal) or picking up any blankets, books, or stray wrappers when done in the living room. This is a simple way to ensure you have a tidy space, without really trying or havingto think about it.

Take Intentional Breaks from Screens

Our entire world now surrounds technology and screens. At work you’re on your computer, at home you’re watching your TV, and in between, you’re probably scrolling on your phone. So, for the sake of your eyes and your brain, take a break from screens. This could mean reading a book, painting, going for a walk, or having dinner with your family – whatever way works for your life. It’s especially important to forgo the glare of blue light in the hours leading up to sleep. Blue light contributes to insomnia and even affects the quality of sleep you get.

This should be reason enough to leave the phone in the bedside drawer for the night, or better yet, have it across the room. It’ll take time to get used to it (because phone addiction is real and prevalent) but once you make it part of your routine, it’ll become the best part of your day.

Have a Hobby!

Hobbies are wonderful ways to ‘escape’ the rest of the world. Whether you’re building miniature models, leading killer DnD campaigns, or baking a cake, having ahobby that you pour time into is a great way to unwind. Yes, doing the hobby may be something that excites (and at times aggravates you) but at its foundation, it is afulfilling activity that gives you some sense of purpose outside of your career.

You don’t have to commit hours to it, but if you carve out a bit of time each week tosit down with your favorite music playing and express your creativity, you’ll find yourself a happier individual. It doesn’t have to happen every day (that’s not pressure you should be putting on yourself) and is an easy way to take your mind off of everything.

Journal

A tried-and-true method for unwinding, journaling is a powerful tool for your mental health. You don’t even have to do it the old-fashioned way. You can do bullet journals, graphic journals, or even type out your feelings in google docs (I have botha physical journal and an online journal myself). Again, this isn’t something you have to commit to every day and you don’t have to write pages and pages of feelings. It can be as simple as writing a sentence or two about your day or something that happened to you. You’ll probably find yourself writing more on days when you need to process bigger thoughts and feelings – however, a sentence or two is perfectly fine for a journal entry!

Listen to music

This one is easy and doesn’t require a lot of forethought or massive changes in behavior. Everyone has their favorite genre of music, favorite artist, or favorite era. Simply pull up a playlist, hit shuffle, and enjoy the craft. Listening to music has long been attributed to increased serotonin (happiness) and decreased stress levels, so it’s an easy yet effective method for unwinding. You don’t have to just sit there either – listen to music while journaling, while doing a hobby, or even while walking!

Make a Wind-Down Routine

This is the easiest way to enlist all of these tips – mix and match what works for youand make it as routine as brushing your teeth and washing your face in the mornings. This routine can be done the moment you walk through the front door, or it can be done in the hours leading up to bed. Make the routine non-negotiable and a part of your everyday life. Then taking care of yourself through true relaxation will become second nature.

Make a To-Do List for Tomorrow

Even after implementing all of the tips above, you find your mind still racing with thoughts about tomorrow and all the tasks you have to do, then face it. Head on. Take 10 minutes (and ONLY 10 minutes) to draft up a To-Do List of everything you have to do tomorrow. Using an app like Blitzit where you can create checklists with timers will help you whiz through any To-Do List. The app is easy to use and promotes a more flow state work environment, making it crucial to a productive workday.

Once that’s done, take some deep breaths (in for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds, exhale for 4 seconds), and put it away. Then continue with your unwinding routine. This isn’t recommended every day – again, it’s better to leave work at work – but sometimes our minds have difficulty calming down. So, instead of ignoring it, just face it head-on, write the list, and leave it alone.

There!

Now you know not only what is stopping you from truly resting while at home, but you also have an idea of what you need to do to unwind effectively.

Again, establishing new routines and habits will take time, so don’t be hard on yourself if you find yourself slipping up occasionally. Lastly, have fun with it! Being productive means enjoying your life. If you’re happy in your downtime (or even at your job) you’ll find completing tasks the easiest thing in the world.