How To

How to Separate Your Professional and Private Life

Contributor
By eHow Contributing Writer
(8 Ratings)

Here's how to keep your professional and private affairs from blending.

Difficulty: Moderate
Instructions

    Keeping Your Professional Life out of Your Private One

  1. Step 1

    Break down a large task into its simplest elements. This way you won't be so overwhelmed at home by what you didn't get done at work.

  2. Step 2

    Make daily to-do lists that include some of these elements.

  3. Step 3

    Reward yourself for completing the small tasks instead of pushing to finish a large project without breaks.

  4. Step 4

    Avoid falling into a permanent guilt mode, particularly if you work from home. Just because you can keep working doesn't mean you should.

  5. Step 5

    Make time for a private life - even if this means that you need to put personal matters on your to-do list.

  6. Keeping Your Personal Life out of Your Professional One

  7. Step 1

    Maintain a professional demeanor at work. While you may be upset over a failed romance, crying all day at your desk interferes with your productivity and that of those around you.

  8. Step 2

    Keep discussion of personal problems with supervisors to a minimum. They should only be brought up if they are affecting your job performance.

  9. Step 3

    Make calls to friends or family regarding personal matters during your lunch hour if the calls can't wait until you are home. Avoid using the business phone for personal calls.

  10. Step 4

    Remember, your employer is more concerned with how well you do your job than what sort of person you are.

Tips & Warnings
  • If you can't figure out how to break down a large project, visualize the completed project and work backwards, creating an outline.
  • If you're more concerned about your personal life than your job while at work, the company will pick up this cue and it will be a short-term relationship.

Comments  

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on 3/13/2009 Separating family and work or professional and private, it's very important to make schedules or goals for yourself. I find that an everyday schedule in which I try to stick to no matter what is sooo very important. I tried not using it one week just to see if it really worked. I will NEVER NOT use my schedule again. I was lost without it, lol we all were, lol.JennThey're Accepting Applications!!http://www.document-do-it-yourself-service.com/jobs.html

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