The Time/Work Trap - Steps To Prevent Taking Your Work Home

To many of us, "work time" and "me time" (your social, family or just solitary quality time) have very clear distinctions. We know when one is eating into the other, because usually our time management will suffer. Whether it's working late often on that last project, preventing you from having time at home, or whether your home life starts to prevent you working, this is a careful balance that shouldn't be upset. Here are some time-management tips on preventing your work following you home...

1. Ditch the communication avenues

Several years ago, before the advent of all our modern technology such as the internet, mobile phones, pagers and so on, people used to go home from work and the line would be drawn - now they were at home, and not to be disturbed. Businesses and colleagues respected this.

Nowadays, it's not uncommon in some fields of work to get a call on your mobile at home, or to "just check" your work emails on your home computer, or for someone to contact you en route to or from work, elongating your working day. Stop! Use a work mobile (if you have one) and don't give out your personal numbers to just anyone at work. Your boss will probably need it for emergency reasons, not to ask you what you thought of the presentation that day. Of course, if the boss or colleague calling is also a friend, then...

2. Make separate time for when work mixes with play

We have friends at work - it's only normal! If they call you, socially, in person or on the phone to see you, then of course you shouldn't avoid them just because you've switched to "personal time", otherwise none of us would have a social life. However if they want to talk about a "hot" work topic or something that you're both involved in, resist the urge to get into the conversation every time you meet.

Arrange a separate meeting (perhaps lunch at work, so you're using company time in a positive way) where you can both focus on the work conversation. Sometimes a joke can help - if someone starts talking about work again, just say "ah, I swear I left the office today, I feel like I'm still there! Let's forget it 'til tomorrow". Most friends would understand (and possibly be relieved themselves!).

3. Engage yourself with non-work activity as soon as you get home

If we've had a bad work day, we want to go home - our haven - and sit and mull it over, and possibly start taking actions to make ourselves feel better the next morning. For example, to finish an overdue report, write or draft an email response, or as above - call a colleague at home to talk about it.

Although sometimes (more rarely than you'd think) this might be necessary, usually things can wait until the next day. If your boss thought something couldn't wait until the morning, then they would have asked you to work late already. Don't be hard on yourself. Engaging yourself with positive, "personal" time as soon as you get through the door can put your mind off work in a better way.

If you have a family, go out with them, interact with your children, ask your partner how their day was. This will also make the personal time quality time, too. If you're home alone, cook your favourite meal, have takeout, meet friends for a drink. Naturally you can't do this every night (unless you can afford it) but even something like curling up with a book or watching a movie can engage you in something far removed from work.

Work is a means for us to live, but it doesn't have to take over the meaning of your life!