When you’ve got a job that’s never really “off”, how do you separate your personal life from work?

In campus ministry, it’s very easy for the job to become life. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy campus ministry (or else I wouldn’t want to do it). But how does one separate work from “not-work”?

Should I want to separate the two? During the campus year, outside of campus hours, there’s a lot to do. Because I want to be friends to the students I work with, I want to spend time with them outside of campus (lest they think I see them as “projects”, or worse, should I actually start to see them in this way). At the same time, I don’t want to spend too much time with students, because then they’ll become my only friends. (I wonder if I’ve fallen into that trap somewhat, to the point where I haven’t had as good of a relationship as I could have with those from other circles this last year).

One thing I’ve done this year which has helped me in my work/not-work separation, is to place my computer in a room that is not my bedroom. Prior to this, if I tried to relax, I’d feel guilty about not doing work. When I tried to work, there’d be too many other distractions. As I prepare to move to Auckland, I expect to lose this privilege (with higher rent prices in Auckland, getting a spare room to use as an office is unlikely).

I mentioned that it’s easy for the job to become life. I’m not sure if that’s a bad thing (I’ve chosen a job which requires something other than the standard 9-5 work week — if that even exists anymore — and so for that reason I’ve hesitated asking how to separate work from “life”. I always want to be doing something that I’m passionate about (building God’s kingdom) for a job, because that is the purpose of my life (not saying that’s not possible in a secular job; that’s a whole ‘nother topic!)

So how do you separate work from not-work?

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