Decentering Work in Daily Practice

This article was submitted by SIOP (MVI) Subcommittee member and Publications Working Group Lead Piankhy “PJ” Richberg Jr.

Retirement preparation can begin with a question about the present: What receives my attention after the workday ends? For service members, making room for life beyond the organization requires everyday decisions about availability, feedback, and personal commitments.

Research gives us reason to take recovery seriously; Wendsche and Lohmann-Haislah (2017) analyzed 91 samples involving 38,124 employees. Mentally disconnecting from work during nonwork time was associated with less exhaustion and better self-reported sleep. These findings support attention to recovery, although they do not establish that particular boundaries prevent retirement difficulties.

One place to begin is deciding which judgments require action. Useful advice deserves acknowledgment, and consequential inaccuracies deserve correction. Before continuing an argument or explaining yourself again, ask what another response would accomplish. Professional accountability does not require changing every opinion someone holds about you.

Another step is clarifying when work requires your availability and when you can turn your attention elsewhere. Where duty permits, establish a stopping point for routine messages. Write down unfinished tasks and the next action before returning to your personal time.

For me, decentering has meant spending more time with my daughter, investing in her future, and helping her develop social skills. It has also meant writing my books, starting my business, and pursuing my PhD.

A broader life can include ambitious projects, but it also needs room for relationships and rest that require no credential or public recognition. Otherwise, another pursuit could become the sole measure of personal worth.

Individual boundaries cannot repair organizational unfairness, and duty demands can limit when service members disconnect. Leaders still bear responsibility for reasonable expectations and fair treatment.

Start with one commitment outside work that matters to you and give it a realistic place in your week. Practicing that commitment now gives substance to the life you intend to continue after service.

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References

Wendsche, J., & Lohmann-Haislah, A. (2017). A meta-analysis on antecedents and outcomes of detachment from work. Frontiers in Psychology, 7, Article 2072. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.02072