I just have a very ingrained working routine where I start work at a certain time and stop work at a certain time. If I stop working too early, I feel guilty because I haven’t finished my allotted work time yet.
It has some downsides (e.g. it doesn’t allow for much flexibility if there is more or less productive work that needs to be done within a particular time period) and might not work for other people, but I think it’s been pretty effective for me for my ~3 years of remote, EA work. I haven’t ever really felt drained or burnt out. Occasionally I feel kind of down about things not working out as well as I hoped but it doesn’t really reduce my productivity.
I realise this answers the title of your question but not the emotional aspect. I don’t really feel the need to be emotionally connected to the work if I have a productive routine that keeps me engaged.
I just have a very ingrained working routine where I start work at a certain time and stop work at a certain time. If I stop working too early, I feel guilty because I haven’t finished my allotted work time yet.
It has some downsides (e.g. it doesn’t allow for much flexibility if there is more or less productive work that needs to be done within a particular time period) and might not work for other people, but I think it’s been pretty effective for me for my ~3 years of remote, EA work. I haven’t ever really felt drained or burnt out. Occasionally I feel kind of down about things not working out as well as I hoped but it doesn’t really reduce my productivity.
I realise this answers the title of your question but not the emotional aspect. I don’t really feel the need to be emotionally connected to the work if I have a productive routine that keeps me engaged.