( CNN ) -- Just as it 's tough to ride 100 miles on my bike without a few good snack or stretch breaks along the way , today 's 24-7 `` always on '' world of work makes `` switching off '' even more vital than ever to maintain productivity , focus , and energy at work -- and to preserve some form of a life with friends , pets , spouses -- and yourself . The work marathons demanded by this challenging decade need programmatic , regular recharge respites if you 're in it for the long haul . Having flunked retirement twice , I 'm addicted to my work , which I love -- even after 42 years of flat-out entrepreneurship , including these latest two exhausting and exhilarating years writing , publishing , and traveling to lecture about `` Startup Owner 's Manual , '' which I co-authored with customer development pioneer Steve Blank . As a 42-year confessed workaholic captured by a nonstop stream of 200-plus daily emails hitting multiple devices , I 've developed ( and stolen ) dozens of `` turn off '' tools and tricks to pull myself away from the info onslaught besieging millions of us worldwide . This `` nonstopitis '' disease affects entrepreneurs like me most of all , and I hope to cure the `` disease '' before I find myself too busy to attend my own funeral . See also : Do n't let e-mail run your work life . My favorite and newest trick decouples brain from electronic communication devices for a few hours at least once or more every single day -- a major life improvement -- just as many did in our parents ' generation , who decoupled simply by leaving the office in the ancient pre-iPhonian era . Another trick : simply ask yourself `` will anything bad really happen between 5pm and 6am if I turn my back on my inboxes completely ? '' To save your own life , create your own list of `` tricks '' and of rules to impose on yourself . Some of mine that work : . • Switch gears : When tired of `` project A , '' switch to something else on the list -- easier , different , faster-paced or ( gasp ) fun . Changing rhythm is restorative and you return to the tougher project fresher in an amazingly short time . • Change chairs and media -- draft that important thing in ( gasp ) longhand in a club chair or on a sofa . • I sequester all devices in my home office no later than 10pm each night , knowing that friends , daughter , and business partner all know my home phone `` just in case . '' But it helps make the day actually end ! • All devices stay in the car when we visit or go out with friends . The break from each is immensely liberating . • `` No device '' mealtimes are de rigeur for wife Fran and I , but we 're still working on liberating our daughter and her husband . A glass of wine at dinner ( not two ) slows me down just enough to return to the keyboard with fresh energy . • A mid-afternoon cigar or swim . Those 15-20 minutes change all the energy and clear the head , like pushing `` restart '' on a device . • A 20-minute exercise break , ideally coupled with a five-minute shower ( easiest for work ( at-home ) aholics ) . See also : How to cope with too much work . My business partner and co-author Steve Blank , a workaholic Silicon Valley legend , imposed this discipline I recommend : `` date night '' with his wife Alison . Only rare and urgent business can keep them from their Thursdays . There are few better power tools in my book than exercise in almost any form , especially something like bike riding or skiing -- my two personal favorites -- where it 's near impossible to focus on anything other than the cars or moguls whizzing by . Gym workouts are almost as good , provided you `` zone out '' watching CNN or Law and Order reruns , rather than reading work-related stuff . Speaking of reading , I forced myself to read a David Baldacci thriller last week , and remembered why the genre is called `` escape '' fiction . Onward to more such escapes . Entrepreneurs consider 60-80-hour workweeks their trademark , it seems . Add 10 hours of breaks to the week to make the other 60-plus more productive . Before you toggle back to your inbox or another web page , make a list of three tricks that will work best for you and try them before the weekend . I guarantee it 'll enhance your productivity and encourage longer lists . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Bob Dorf .
Entrepreneur and workaholic Bob Woodward says ` ` Switching off '' is vital for your career , and private life . No turning your back on your inboxes after 5 pm , he says . He believes exercise breaks and gym classes can help you re - energize .