As you approach the front door of your job, before you touch the door handle, STOP! Look around. Breathe in. Exhale. Now Go! When you go, go alone. Before walking into the job, reassure yourself that you are going to be the best employee you can be by not letting outside influences affect your production in the workplace. Leave every single problem you have at the door. Do not go any further with the mindset you drove to work in. If you knew just how much the effects of bringing your personal issues to work could hinder your career opportunities, you would leave them in your home, before you walk out the front door.
Being an employee does not exempt you from life. Tragedies are inevitable, broken hearts seem irreparable, paying bills that seem to get higher and higher by the day are unfortunate, but none of the examples listed are your employers business. In fact, it may inevitably cause you to be passed up on opportunities to climb the corporate ladder, because your management feels you are unable to separate your personal life, from your career.
Here are a few tips on how you can minimize distractions in the workplace to cope with the issues plaguing your mind outside of work.
- Know Yourself.
- Set aside a specific time to evaluate your work life versus your personal life.
- Govern your relationships.
- Prepare a schedule the night before. Stick to it.
Knowing yourself and your limits will enable you to understand what the best method of stress relief is for your particular situation. If you are unable to identify what is causing the burdens you feel, chances are you won’t be able to address them, much less find a resolution.
Set aside a specific time to deal with your issues. Pick a time where you can truly focus with the minimum amount of distractions. Be reasonable with your expectations of yourself, and what you plan to accomplish within the time you set. Be adamant about sticking to the time allotted, and address all of the issues within that time. Do remember, the time frame you choose to work on what is overwhelming you, should be determined by the urgency and significance of the dilemma. Once the time has expired, STOP!
Govern your relationships, or they will govern you! All relationships have the tendency to place burdens on both parties involved. The level of hindrance depends on the individual, and what your priorities are. For someone who values their career more, relationships aren’t or are less likely, to interfere with their work affairs. However, if you are someone who breaks down constantly due to the words or actions from your spouse, you may have to re-evaluate your priorities. If love affects your emotions so much to the point that you shut down and are unable to function as expected in the workplace, quit your job. It is unfair to your coworkers, and the management that hired you to perform. Just imagine, they have to wait on you to recover from heartache to do the job you are being paid to do. If you are unable to govern your love life accordingly, don’t apply for a job. The only job you are equipped to work is the relationship that is causing you so much stress. You simply can’t do both. If your employer chose you to work on their team, it was because they thought you would have the ability to juggle both healthy relationships inside and out of work. Get in the right frame of mind, and always remember that some relationships are temporary. You may be hindering your future by investing so much time in a dead end relationship. Regardless of the situation, no one at your job should know the difficulties you are facing at home.
Prepare. Write down your goals for the following day before you go to bed. Choose time-frames when they should be achieved by, and hold yourself accountable. Pack your lunch, pack your bags, choose your clothing, and set your alarm. Granted, even with preparation, problems can still arise. However, because you prepared yourself from the night before, the burden may not affect you as much as it would have had you not prepared.
Trying to get promoted within a company, or even trying to get hired has become a huge obstacle for many of us. Don’t create another hurdle for yourself by mixing your business with your pleasures. The two have never been compatible. If you choose to have stressful relationships, it’s your choice. Your employer didn’t hire you and your spouse, they hired you because they thought you would make a concentrated effort to help them grow and maintain their business. Practice restraint, and remember to never allow any external influences to cheat you out of future successes in the workplace.
