Why I do not mix work with life: a necessary balance for optimum living

I am one of the few lucky individuals who has his home close to the workplace. Here in Nigeria, there are workplaces like hospitals that have quarters, and hence, residents can easily traverse to the workplace. I remember wanting to make a grave mistake in 2018 by asking for a carved-out room within the hospital building. The room was not in the quarters but right there, within the hospital building. Sure, the smell would always be a trouble, but the fact that patients would have free access to me even when I was not supposed to be on duty. The latter reason was why I declined to stay in the room offered by the hospital management.

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Life is not all about work. Perhaps the saying that all work and no play makes Jack a dull child can come to play. Even during work hours, we do take time off to relax or freshen up. Thus, there is a clear reason why life should exist outside of work.

I was compelled to adopt some principles at my current place, and I hope you will agree with me on why I did so.

• not taking work assignments home for execution
• hardly responding to work calls unless it is an emergency.
• understanding the dividing line between work and life.

As a medic in Nigeria, I have heard some weird statements from patients we sacrificed our conveniences for: do doctors also get sick? My reactions or responses when work calls come during my rest period usually make it obvious to the caller that such interruptions are not welcome. I do not imagine myself working around the clock with little or no time to rest. I remember having to work six days a week for three consecutive weeks at the maternity wing of my hospital. I lost 3 kg after 4 months as a result of the overload of work. There, I practically had no life outside of work.

It is quite terrible that people believe those of us in the medical field should live our lives within the hospital. Perhaps this is the reason why many medics do not engage in social activities.

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By not taking unfinished work assignments home, I get to relax and engage in other non-work-related activities such as strolls, visits to family and friends, movies, etc. This does not mean I have hatred for work; in fact, I hate to be disturbed by calls or exigencies when I am at work. In balance, I would say, "Work when you should work and, live when you should live."

Being able to differentiate and steer clear when at work helps me stay relaxed and fresh when I am at home. I am able to engage on social media sites such as Hive. Dare I say that I steal from my work time to engage in social media? However, this is only when I am less busy at work or there is nothing to do. I believe a rested life would translate to an optimal productivity at work.

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Thank you for reading. I would appreciate your comments and contributions.