Disconnecting

I have always had an unhealthy relationship with my career. E-mail on my phone, long hours and late nights and taking things to personally have always been part of my work life but at the same time I think they have also led to my great success.

I think there's a part of me that believes that in order to be successful, I need to devote so much of myself to my work which is why I've allowed the lines to blur significantly.

This weekend though, I took the first step towards establishing the boundaries between work and personal life.

I removed work e-mail from my phone.

Now this is a BIG, BIG deal. I always like to be accessible and in the "know" with what was going on at work. But this weekend, I realized the impact it was having on my peace of mind.

I was sitting in the parking lot of Whole Foods with my boyfriend and literally had to ask him "for a minute" because an e-mail I had just received had be fired up. I put my fingers to the bridge of my nose, hung my head and had to take a couple deep, deep breathes.

Nothing was on fire, nothing was time sensitive, but I allowed that e-mail to control that moment for me. And in that moment, my chest was tight and I was anxious and annoyed. I decided I needed a boundary.

I still have my work e-mail on my iPad and can connect remotely via my computer but it requires the conscious choice to look at it. It's no longer connected to my cell phone that I carry with me everywhere. And I can tell you that it feels REALLY, REALLY good.

Do you allow yourself to disconnect or do you find yourself being devoted to your work e-mail?