subject: Dont Bring The Office Home In Age Of Wireless Internet [print this page] The Internet used to only be accessible in high-tech offices, and connections were very slow at that. But now, most people have high-speed wireless Internet in their homes, not to mention 4G phones that can get online in every caf, subway station or campsite across the United States.
This can make it very difficult for the workaholics to sign out when they get home. Right as theyre starting to relax and play with the kids, or catch up on personal emails, or watch the game, their phone buzzes letting them know that theyve received a message from the boss or a potential client. Even when theyre getting ready to go to bed or go on vacation to Houston with their significant others, they can be interrupted by troubles at the office.
These technological distractions can get encourage an unhealthy work/life balance, and even cause those close to you to lose patience or feel offended that youre constantly glued to your phone. But how exactly do you learn to leave work at the office in this new age of wireless Internet? Here are some tips that can help you strike the right balance.
1. Set a time to turn off your phone and stick to it.
Very few people need to, or should be, doing work after, say, 8 p.m. Setting a specific limit and sticking to it is a good way to keep yourself in check. Obviously, this rule wont work if youre a doctor on call, or in certain hectic seasons at your office (i.e. the first two weeks in April if youre an accountant). But if youre finding yourself breaking this rule more often then not, then having an explicit goal like this can be a good reminder that youre letting work spill into your personal life.
2. Dont use your work email for personal correspondence.
For many people, especially those whose first email addresses were the ones they use at the office, work and personal email addresses are the same. This doesnt allow you to draw the line as sharply as you should, especially now that the majority of Americans have wireless Internet in their homes. If you go to send an email to your best friend from college at 9 p.m., and see that your colleague finally sent you the second draft of a report youve been waiting on for weeks, you might forget your old buddy and start working again. If you have two separate addresses, on the other hand, you wont be as tempted to let the two worlds collide. Moreover, this way youll be more productive when youre actually at work, seeing as you wont be distracted by any personal emails in the middle of the day. This means that you might actually have less work to bring home in the first place!
3. Tell your boss or colleague that you wont be reachable over the weekend/after 9 p.m./on your vacation.
Setting limits can be difficult when youre trying to impress the boss. And occasionally it does look good to be flexible. But you also need to remember that youre the only one whos going to determine the work/life balance that makes you happy. If youre fine receiving phone calls from your boss at 11 p.m. because youre desperate to get ahead, go for it. Just realize that your personal life will suffer.
