I’m not in work today.

In the past that would have meant not travelling to a place in order to produce something. What it means now is not logging into a work system. I wasn’t ‘at’ work on Wednesday although I was working; being able to log in remotely at different times meant I was still productive.

Smarter working can lead to an ‘always on’ connection with work. Being on leave and not in work, I can still engage with my networks (Twitter), plan and complete activity about learning (a FutureLearn MOOC), read (Alf Rehn and Nick Shackleton-Jones’ books are incomplete), reflect (think about future blog posts), self-develop (listen to podcasts while exercising), etc.

Make sure that you have a clear line between work and not-work on days when you’re on leave. If not, you might be completing tasks at the expense of rest and relaxation.