Derval O'Rourke: 'I’m my own worst enemy when it comes to disconnecting'

Plus, a recipe for a healthy couscous salad 

'This week I’m chatting about that freedom to work in whatever way we want'

The nature of my work is that I can do it almost anywhere. I can write this column from a moving train, sitting at my kitchen table, in an airport waiting for a flight or parked in the car doing the school pick-up.

Like most people there is a big chunk of my work that can be done ‘remotely’ and is very ‘flexible’.

A large percentage of what I work on is done on a laptop or phone and I need good wifi and the ability to concentrate to get my tasks done. This week I’m chatting about that freedom to work in whatever way we want and whether that has created a knock-on effect on disconnecting from work and being online.

In 2021 the Workplace Relations Commission brought in the code on the right to disconnect, which covers the employee’s right to disconnect outside of working hours. The past six years have seen many countries introduce legislation around the right to disconnect, with the focus on workers not feeling obliged to return emails, messages or work calls outside of work hours.

As individuals, we have the challenge of disconnecting not only from work but from various other apps which can be a huge drain on our time. If I’m being completely honest I’m my own worst enemy when it comes to ‘disconnecting’.

I find the dissolving boundaries between work and life hard to manage at times. With the increased flexibility around working practices I tend to jump from one work task to a life task far more than is necessarily good for me. An example of this is hopping on a Zoom call from the car waiting to do a school pick-up.

I know at times my work habits are not particularly good for my wellbeing yet I find myself deep in them.

When I go on holidays I struggle to pop on an out of office email notification, I just find it easier to send a quick reply if I see messages coming through. I’m conscious of posting on my social media accounts and definitely have to remind myself that it’s perfectly acceptable if I don’t.

Truthfully at times I feel my phone is a welcome little distraction from the ‘real world’. Most of us spend far more time glued to ours than we would like to admit. Research conducted by a global tech company showed people check their phones on average 96 times a day. To put that in perspective, that’s once every 10 minutes.

In the past six months I’ve made much more of an effort to be honest with myself about how much I’m using my phone and my habits around it and in turn I’ve tried much more to ‘disconnect’. These are the three areas I find important to have boundaries on.

Social media apps: The main app I was spending time on was Instagram and I’ve massively reduced how much time I spend scrolling. I removed the app from the home screen on my phone and try to use it only to post and if I’m looking for something specific, for example a recipe idea.

No phones during certain times: I genuinely hate when people are on their phones during a meal or when you are sitting down for a chat. I think we often do it subconsciously and don’t realise that it’s actually not a nice habit. I’ve made a conscious effort to remove my phone in these situations. I’ll leave it in the car, put it on silent or put it in a cupboard to avoid picking it up.

Response times: I used to feel that whoever messaged me or called me needed an immediate response and I’ve tried to challenge that feeling. I tend to respond to multiple messages in one go in structured time that I’ve set aside. You don not need to be accessible 24/7.

Couscous salad

recipe by:Derval O'Rourke

A simple and delicious way to serve couscous.

Servings

2

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 10 mins

Total Time

 20 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 280g couscous

• 500ml chicken or vegetable stock

• 2 garlic cloves, crushed

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• 1 tsp cumin

• 1 tsp ground ginger

• 1 tsp turmeric

• 80g sultanas

• 1 cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, deseeded and diced

• 1 red pepper, diced

• 1 yellow pepper, diced

• zest of 1 lemon

• freshly ground pepper

• For the dressing

• juice of 1 lemon

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• ½ tsp salt

Method

1. Place the couscous in a large bowl.

2. Place the chicken stock, garlic, olive oil, salt and spices in a large measuring jug and whisk until combined.

3. Pour the stock over the couscous and stir to combine.

4. Scatter the raisins over the couscous. Place a tea towel over the bowl and leave the couscous to cook for 10 minutes or according to the instructions on the package.

5. Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables.

6. Fluff the couscous with a fork.

7. Stir in the vegetables and lemon zest.

8. Place all of the ingredients for the dressing in a jar with a lid and shake to combine.

9. Pour the dressing over the couscous and toss well. Season with pepper and divide the salad between serving plates.