It happens to me often that when things get rolling along at school I start to spend more and more time there, both physically and mentally. The day is done and I get very caught up in material making, in record keeping, in emailing parents, in staying on and on. Then I'm getting home and checking the school email again. The fine line between home life and school life becomes blurred and all of a sudden it's like I've been at school all day.
When the school year began, just a month ago, I told myself I'd try to maintain a good, healthy perspective. Be home by 4. Leave school at school. And work with as much enthusiasm on the rest of my life.
Ultimately, a good balance surely helps me be a better person in both camps.
Thanks to a good partner, I am reminded to rescue that balance.
I listened to Tim Ferriss on TED, author of the book "The 4 Hour Workweek" (aka. the ultimate goal? ) and from his very excellent blog come some tips for work obsessed folks, such as myself, on boundary setting:
- Engage in your other hobbies after work.
- Take care of your personal life. He writes "Set goals in your personal life just as you do in your professional life."
- Nurture your non work related relationships.
- Keep your personal email separate from work email. (This seems to be really key for me.)
- Manage your time. It's the old Parkinson's principle. "Work expands to fill the designated time you have for it." If I set my limit to staying at work till 4, then I should be just as capable of doing everything that's got to be done before the next day as if I stayed until 6.
2 comments:
Oh! The line is always blurred for me - especially at the beginning of the school year. Thanks for writing this post and sharing those tips. I always feel better and have more energy when my life is balanced.
Good reminder for us all!
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