Most people have trouble leaving work behind when the day is done.
In fact, nearly three out of four employees admit they can’t stop thinking about unfinished tasks or looming deadlines once they clock out.
This constant rumination can drain energy, strain relationships, and even affect long-term health.
A new study from the University at Buffalo School of Management suggests a simple strategy can help many employees detach from work in the evening: shift your focus to your personal goals.
Reflecting on what you want to accomplish outside of work—whether that’s improving your fitness, learning a new skill, or spending more quality time with family—can help people mentally step away from their jobs and recharge.
“Many workers admit to experiencing automatic, intrusive thoughts during leisure time as their biggest pain point,” explains study co-author Min-Hsuan Tu, Ph.D., associate professor of organization and human resources at UB.
“When employees can’t switch off, the stress of the workday bleeds into their evenings and impacts well-being.”
The research, which will be published in the Journal of Applied Psychology, involved more than 1,000 full-time employees and 137 part-time MBA students across three separate studies.
Participants were asked to reflect each evening on their nonwork goals, and researchers then measured their levels of rumination, exhaustion, and overall well-being.
The results were clear: for most people, thinking about personal goals reduced the tendency to ruminate about work and helped them recover mentally and emotionally after hours.
The simple shift in attention allowed them to stop replaying unfinished work tasks in their heads and instead focus on activities that restored energy and improved their mood.
But there was one notable exception—workaholics. People who are deeply attached to their work goals found it much harder to step away mentally, even when they tried reflecting on personal goals. For this group, the intervention was far less effective, highlighting that workaholics may need more tailored support strategies to truly disconnect.
For everyone else, the findings offer a practical, easy-to-implement solution. By making a conscious effort each evening to think about nonwork goals, employees can improve their psychological, social, and even physical well-being. It’s a reminder that recovery doesn’t have to be complicated.
Sometimes, all it takes is giving your personal life the same attention you give your professional one.
