Showing up to work in bad mood? Rethink your evening routine

In the study, published in the Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, researchers asked 124 employees to fill out surveys over two-and-a-half years asking about what they had done the night before to recover from work, how they had slept, their mood, and whether they took breaks throughout the day.

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The researchers found that people who had higher quality recovery during the evening were more alert, calm and in a better mood at work the next day.

Being able to psychologically detach from work each night had indirect benefits via better sleep quality, while relaxation and mastery activities led to direct improvements. Those benefits subsided as the day went on.

Organisational psychologist Dr Amantha Imber says it highlights the need to prioritise recovery every day.

“Some people think if they can get a good night’s sleep a couple of times a week then that’s satisfactory, but this research suggests that it’s really not,” says Imber, who is also the host of the How I Work podcast.

Though there was a benefit from all the different types of recovery activities, seeking out mastery experiences – anything we find intellectually challenging and requires us to use our skills and talents – were particularly beneficial.

“Ironically though, if you’ve had a really long day at work it’s the last thing you feel like doing,” Imber says, recalling her own resentment about yet another commitment when she signed up for a pottery course.

“But then when I was doing it, I’d drive home at night and think ‘I’m so glad I did this’. What that might mean, if we’re seeking out mastery experiences, is acknowledging that we might not feel like doing it, but we’re probably going to feel a whole lot better for doing it.”

Proper recovery, whether that is a mastery activity, connecting with a friend, or sharing a meal with your family requires at least an hour to fully immerse ourselves, says Imber.

“However, 10-15 minutes is better than nothing, so if that’s all you have, take that time to do something restorative, such as a short meditation or walk around the block,” she suggests.

And while screens can feel relaxing, given they are mostly passive activities, for most of us, they are not restorative, she adds.

It can be challenging when we feel overwhelmed and reactive to pause and become proactive about how we use our time, but it can be the one thing we can do to break that circuit of feeling overwhelmed.

“Living a life in line with your values – so if you value social connection over watching TV, then prioritising socialising over screens – and just being conscious of how you use your time will almost always lead to greater happiness,” Imber says.

“And [screens] are generally not in line with our values. I don’t think many people get to their deathbed and wish that they had spent more time binge-watching Netflix.”

Instead of scrolling on their phones, Bloxom and Collins now knit for a couple of hours each night. Sometimes they do watch Netflix while they’re doing it. In December 2020, they started a business, Cardigang, teaching others the skill they’d fallen in love with.

“Since our launch we’ve now taught over 10,000 people how to knit and crochet,” says Bloxom. Hearing that it has helped others to wind down in the same way it helped them has made the risky decision to leave their corporate jobs in March 2022 worthwhile.

Understanding the effect proper daily recovery can have on our lives has made it make sense.

“If you’ve made something yourself, you want to show it off,” says Collins. “So, we thought people would want to share their creations, but we didn’t expect they would share stories about how it’s helped them.

“We have had doctors and healthcare workers saying, ‘I’m at the end of my tether and this has really actually made a huge impact to my life’.”

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