Transitioning effectively – shutdown rituals and the journey

Let’s consider now the first two aspects of transition from work to home. That is having a shutdown ritual and the journey itself. No less than Nobel prize winning psychologist Professor Daniel Kahneman suggests that having a clear shutdown ritual is of significant benefit in managing this transition. In fact, Professor Daniel Levitin suggests that we literally switch off clusters of worry neurons when we have an intentional, meaningful, albeit symbolic activity at the end of the working day. This can be a matter of just simply closing down tidely a laptop, tidying up a desk. It could be symbolically watering a plant and locking the door.

It can be any number of things that show that you’re preparing for the mental transition to home life. The journey itself is quite important as well. Dr. Adam Fraser, a psychologist from Australia, has developed the metaphor of the third space. And in this situation, what we consider is that mentally where we spend a lot of our time we’re in work, that’s the first space. Our home life, where mentally perhaps we spend less time, is the second space. The transition between the two is the third space. So how can we use the journey?

How can we use the journey to naturally dial down our emotions and concentration in the identity that we have during the day to be the person we want to present to others when we’re at home. This can involve some breathing exercises. It can involve some altruism, connecting with the wider world, outside our own sort of thoughts and mind. And so when we return home, we can then engage with others in the way that we want to.