Constant availability in everyday life. Why switching off is so difficult

There are these thoughts that don’t come out loud, but rather in passing. While brushing your teeth. In the shower. Especially when you can’t hold on to them. A lot of ideas come to me right in these moments. If I can’t write, don’t type, don’t take notes. And right there, in the shower, I noticed that theoretically I could even be reached if I wore my smartwatch there. I don’t. But I could.

And it’s exactly this thought that sticks.

Constant availability doesn’t start in the job, but in the mind

What really concerns me about being constantly available is not the job itself. Not my colleagues who would demand something from me outside of working hours. On the contrary. Nobody demands that. Nobody expects a reaction. Nobody writes with the unspoken addition: “Please take care of it immediately.” And yet I read along. Even on days off. Even on vacation.

Not to take action. But to know. To be prepared. So as not to be surprised. To give myself that feeling of being in control. The absurd thing about it: the job doesn’t require it. I demand it of myself.

Constant availability gives a feeling of control. It is often exactly the opposite.

Generation 1974 and life before emails

I was born in 1974. I know a working life without emails. Without chats. Without this constant background noise of information that is available at any time.

Back then you had to wait. To the handover. On a piece of paper. On a call. To the next working day. Things were left there without them feeling offended. Today there is nothing left. Everything is always already there. Ready. Open. Visible.

And even if I manage to actually be offline during a longer vacation, the following always happens: I check everything the day before my first day at work. Emails. News. Calendar. Not because I have to. But because I want to know what to expect. So that I can sort things out internally before I see my desk.
That feels reasonable. But maybe it isn’t at all.

Knitted dresses in the office

Between all the reading, preparing and being there inside, there are very banal realities. For example, the question of what to wear in the morning when it’s winter outside and a day of work awaits inside. I’m showing two knitted dresses here, both of which have been in my closet for a while. One of them is actually really old. Over 20 years. Not an archive find, not a revival, but simply a dress that has remained.

I combine both with a blazer. Not as a statement, but because it proves itself in everyday work. For the office. For indoors. For days when you want to be warmly dressed without getting lost in layers or looking like a ski lodge. These knitted dresses wouldn’t be for me for walks outside, it’s too cold for that. Also with thermal tights. This isn’t an outdoorsy look, but rather an uncomplicated office look that works without demanding much attention.

In the shower

Maybe that’s why I always end up right there in my mind. In the shower. In this short interval in which neither work nor leisure really takes effect. Being unavailable doesn’t feel like giving up, but rather like a completely normal state. And maybe that’s exactly the point. Not everything that is technically possible has to be taken mentally. Sometimes it’s enough for the water to run, your head to quiet for a moment and it’s clear: I don’t need to know anything right now.

How do you deal with constant availability? Do you read along, even if no one asks you to do anything? Or do you manage to really switch off? I look forward to your thoughts and thank you for your visit and your time. Have a wonderful and relaxing Sunday.

THANK YOU 🖤

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