Sysadmin needing a place to vent, record work, and maybe even help others along the way!

2 minute read

For those of you who work in IT, you will understand that switching off from work and putting it out of your mind is extremely difficult, sometimes impossible. You may be an IT manager who is responsible for the whole IT operation of a company, knowing nothing can function if you can’t keep systems running, or you may be a IT project engineer, trying to get a project completed on time with stakeholders pressuring you constantly to get it done. IT is a high pressured and high stakes industry, which can be good (for employment opportunities and pay), but not so good for peoples mental and physical health. It is crucial that once you finish work for the evening or weekend, or if you are going on holiday, you are able to take your mind off work and focus on your actual life!

My personal experience

For me personally, I’ve not had an issue too much with work following me home, or being bothered too much out of hours (apart from the occasional 3am call for a printer issue), my issue was that it felt like all I had was work. I would get home and I wouldn’t know what to do with myself, apart from sit on the sofa, eat food and watch crap on TV. I felt like my life was just work and then my free time being an afterthought. I realised that I needed a hobby, something I could focus on outside of work, and look forward to after work and on weekends. One of these new-found hobbies is Stand Up Paddle boarding (SUP-ing). It’s been great to get out into nature, out on the water, enjoy the peace and quiet, while also getting some good exercise in! I also started running in the mornings before work (can’t say I enjoy it much when I first get up and out….but it must be done).

Paddleboard Inflating

How to take your mind of work

This is tricky, because different people have different circumstances, different schedules and lives, etc, but we can still generalise and try give some advice.

  • Find a hobby - This has been great for me, it gives me something to look forward to on weekends and evenings, something to focus on.
  • USE YOUR ANNUAL LEAVE - Can’t stress enough the importance of using your leave (and actually leaving). Take a day off, switch your phone off, meditate on top of a mountain or something, just do anything other than work. If someone calls you, let them leave a message and get to it when you’re back in work, don’t use your own time.
  • Put processes in place to make sure you aren’t the single point of contact for issues - If you have staff on your team, DELEGATE, make sure they are trained and know the systems, so that they can carry the load and help you out. You should not be the only person who is able to complete a certain task, you should always have a deputy, a backup. This isn’t just good for you personally, it is good professionally, and is a concept of IT best practice.

Conclusion

In conclusion, taking time to yourself is crucial, for your physical and mental health. No one will thank you for working yourself to death! Ensure that you have a team around you that can support you and most importantly cover for you. Find a hobby, take some time off work, turn your phone off, step outside and take a deep breath of fresh air, and switch off!

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