Creating Synergy between your Personal & Professional Space

During my time in university and in corporate, I've heard many say how both personal and professional lives should separated and mutually exclusive. However in my opinion, in terms of attitude, outlook and values, I beg to differ.

I like talking about my job and sharing about what I do to people. However, this typically results in the assumption that I'm obsessed with my work. The thing is, I talk about what I do because it is very much a part of my life. While I fully agree we need our own down time out of work, I feel that in terms of how we live and our outlook are very much integral between the personal and the professional - it is a two-way street.

Don't get me wrong, I like the job that I do, I absolutely care about doing well in it. Yet at the same time, I do care a lot about having my own personal and social space.

While perspectives and thoughts change as I gain experience, I feel right now is that it can be so mentally exhausting trying to live two entirely different lives trying to fight against being someone I am not. I tend to ask myself - why would people do that? It takes way too much effort - if I may say, unnecessary effort. It would be so much more liberating if we find ways to decipher similarities of how these two "different" lives can be actually beneficial each other.

In my case, this is how I find my separate hobbies and job scope mutually beneficial:

Personal		Professional
I enjoy learning and finding out more about nutrition and fitness	⇄	As a Compensation & Benefits (C&B) professional, employees well-being is part of my job scope - my interests can be useful in coming out with ideas
My newfound solitude in reading books intentionally	⇄	I become more meticulous when read emails and look at data
I write my blog mostly in bullet points and review entries in my blog in a systematic manner before publishing	⇄	I learn that it is okay not to send emails out instantly and I tend to go back to my emails to ensure they are clear and concise before sending them out
I find a lot joy in having a habit tracker and organising my space	⇄	I learn to sort out demands at work and prioritise without stressing out all the time

This is how I felt the improvements in my personal life have translated to my job/professional life and vice versa, of course.

After all, let's face it - work is very much part of your life owing that you spend a significant amount of time in the office. It is only rhetorical that your professional life affects your personal life. The least we can do is to pick the good parts and enjoy the ride :)