LEAVE WORK AT WORK

Leave work at work and spend time with your family
It’s a fact, we live to work in a society that puts great emphasis on material things. The need to acquire new stuff has transformed the typical nine-to-five job  into  a hectic, all-day, every-day task in order to survive. With such high demands for time from our employers and our own families, it’s not surprising that a majority of guys just don’t know when enough is enough and are immensely overworked. But you don’t have to be.
  As the man of the house, you have a responsibility to provide for your family and to be successful, but that doesn’t mean working your way into an early grave. Finding a balance between being successful and knowing when to be a regular Joe-Scheme is something that we all struggle with.
  No matter what your job or position in life is, the desire to give it your all and push your way to the top  is incredibly strong and often causes other aspects of our lives to suffer; mostly our personal affairs. Not only do we work projects home, we also tend to bring home our emotional luggage. It’s this stress, anxiety and often anger that could potentially be the most damaging.
  So, how do you leave work at work? Take a look at the suggestions below and remember the words of Rita Mae Brown; “Don’t trade the stuff of your life---time---for dollars. That’s a rotten bargain.”
How to keep work at work 
Unwind before you get home

Your coworkers are constantly coming to you for projects and deadlines that have long since passed, your inbox is  overflowing with external and internal demands –you feel like you’ve just arrived at the office and yet, it’s suddenly 5:00p.m. You arrive home to more questions from a probing partner, who is only curious about your day ( insert explosion here).
  Bringing work-related stress home can be detrimental to any relationship, be it with your child, friend or significant other. So, if you’ve had a particularly stressful day at work, take the long way home. Use that extra time alone to cool off; listen to your favorite music, scream if you have to…just get it all out before you walk through the front door. Home is not the source of your stress: it is your escape, your retreat. Keep it that way.
Boss people at work, not at home
 Just because you hold power at the office doesn’t mean you can start bossing people around in your off hours. While taking initiative and being assertive at work are great leadership qualities, doing so outside the office will lead to confrontation.

   No one likes to be told what to do, especially not in an environment where everyone is supposed to be on a level playing field. Don’t bring your power trip home. Think of home as a chance to relieve   yourself of all responsibilities and worries associated with being in charge. Let your friends and family share in the decision making; they’ll appreciate your cooperative attitude and you’ll have a chance to relax.
Leave gossip at the water cooler
   No matter how structured or professional a corporation is, drama often bubbles to the top of many conversations. From employee spats to secret love affairs (come on, you know they happen) stories and rumors circulate and we often can’t help but get caught up in the messy details. No matter  how juicy the gossip, try not  to bite into it too hard.
   Getting yourself tangled up in office drama is not only detrimental to your work ethic, but can also cause your work  life to overflow into  your personal life. Sure, you can have professional friendships with your coworkers and chitchat during office hours, but when that big hand hits 5:00 p. m. and you walk out those office doors, leave it all behind.
How to get your life back
Disconnect-completely
 There are particular jobs that require open lines of communication via Blackberries, pagers and cell phones; however, if those devices are simply being used “just in case,” then turn them off when you’re not at work. Your eagerness isn’t a sign of determination, rather it shows a lack of focus on your personal affairs. Knowing when to turn it off is crucial to a health, well-balanced life.
 If you must work at home, dedicate a specific area in the house; somewhere you can be undisturbed in your “work mode.” Make sure to put a time constraint on your homework, as limits must be set for working after hours. Do not let work encroach upon your personal life. Bringing your laptop to bed to finish a few reports is just wrong—and it’s not the type of gadget she was hoping for, I’m sure.
How to take personal days and when to say no…
  Take personal days
  Now, we are all entitled to a number of “personal days” throughout the year.  Take them. Personal days are not a code name for “ catch-up days” designed to let you sneak home with a company laptop and catch  up on all the things you’ve been unable to complete, free of  the distractions at work. And they are most definitely not   “I’m still available, if you need me just call or e-mail me” days either. You are unavailable—make sure everyone knows that fact.
  These days are designed to give you a break; to let you recharge and rest so that you are ready to tackle the chaos of work once again. We all need downtime, no matter how successful or otherwise, so stop fighting the urge; grab a cold one, unplug the phone, turn off the PC and the cell, and kick back.
  Know when to say no 
There comes a time in every man’s career when the limits of his workload are pushed. No matter how sympathetic your employer seems, he will inevitably try and have you do as much as is humanly possible. The key word there is; humanly. We are only human and there are limits to the amount of work we can accomplish. It’s OK to say no and turn down proposed projects and assignments.
 Saying no doesn’t mean you’ve failed your company or your life. Saying no means you’ve taken control of the situation and realized your limitations. Juggling is one thing, being pelted with random flying balls while trying to catch them is quite another. Know when to tell the difference and put a stop to the madness. An overload at work means an overflow into personal time, so make sure your nine-to-five window and not one minute outside of that.
All work and no play
 Being overworks will turn any man into a very dull, stresses-out, crabby, snarky, emotionally unavailable boy indeed. Keep in mined that it’s not laziness or lack of motivation that’s being promoted here, far from it. What’s being suggested is that you maintain a healthy balance between work and your actual life. It is a hard concept to grasp, but work is not, not should it ever be, your entire existence.

  Letting work control your every move in and out of the office is a sure sign of weakness, if you want to be the man of the house, show how manly you can truly be by leaving the office where it belongs and spending quality time with your family and friends during your off time.

PART 1

Resources: http://www.askmen.com