I was talking with my boss today about some things that were frustrating me a bit. I would put them in the category of things that individually aren't a big deal, but if you have to deal with several at a time, you start to feel like they're beating you over the head. Combined with some other things, it led to a discussion about compartmentalizing different aspects of the job, as well as home and work stuff.
Splitting work and personal life isn't always easy, because some amount of your social life is going to occur at work. I think the bigger challenge is to keep the negative aspects of each from entering the other. I don't think most personalities can really turn those things on and off like a switch. For me it has always been directional. In my worst personal times, I've never brought that to work, but I have at times allowed suboptimal work to interfere with home life. This is especially true when I'm invested and engaged in a job (as I am now).
It's worth noting that this is also why entrepreneurial efforts are so hard. Creating and running your own business is intensely personal, and it's nearly impossible to draw lines between work and your life. It's also why I flatly reject the motivational poster bullshit cheerleading that suggests that if you don't want it bad enough, you can't have it. Nonsense. Life is far more nuanced than that. There are a hundred little decisions you have to make every day in the way you choose to spend your time, and if you're me, that means sometimes the things that make you happiest are things that have nothing to do with your business.
While at work, trying to put different aspects of work into little buckets is easier for me, but not without its challenges. For example, over the years I've been able to put my ego aside and allow myself to be wrong, if I think that it's ultimately the better thing for the team or business or whatever. It doesn't mean that I don't require validation now and then, but indeed the journey itself is every bit as satisfying as the outcome.
Putting my personal life into distinct buckets comes surprisingly easy to me. I can manage different interpersonal relationships apart from each other, keep things like finances apart from relationship quality, enjoy hobbies without having to involve others, etc.
There is a fair amount of utility in trying to keep different life concerns separate from each other, but I'm sure it depends a lot on the personality. I can do it where it makes sense, and I'm successful in some ways more than others. At the end of the day though, all aspects of life in some way uniquely define me, so allowing for overlap isn't inherently bad.
No comments yet.