Wouldn’t it be nice to leave all your work stress at the office?
To go home happy, positive, and full of energy for your family, friends, sports, and other activities?
Would you—just for a moment—consider a surgical procedure to separate your work brain from your non-work self?
Those who’ve watched Severance will know exactly where this is going.
When “Healthy Work” Becomes Sci-Fi
In Severance, employees at Lumon Industries undergo a procedure that divides their work and personal memories. Their “innie” selves spend each day performing meaningless tasks in a stark office called the Department of Macrodata Refinement. They don’t know what they’re doing—or why. Their reward for good performance? A painfully awkward dance party. (There’s also a goat-wrangling department, because apparently cat herding was too obvious.)
Hollywood loves the idea of total separation between work and personal life—but the truth is far messier. Real work-life boundaries aren’t about switching off a part of your brain. They’re about setting healthy work limits, creating mindful routines, and practising habits that help you protect your wellbeing, not erase it.
Carl the Compartmentaliser
While surgical severance isn’t available (yet??), many people try a psychological version: compartmentalisation. It’s a defence mechanism—mentally separating the emotions and experiences from different areas of your life.
Take Carl, a manager I once worked with. His “policy” was to never socialise with his team outside work. “If I have to fire someone, it’s less awkward,” he explained.
This was Carl’s way of maintaining boundaries at work, but it came at a cost. His rigid limits created detachment, loneliness, and emotional coldness.
Healthy work-life boundaries shouldn’t mean cutting yourself off from others—they should help you stay human.
Susan Spillover
On the other end of the spectrum is Susan, a coaching client who worked for a large pharma company in Basel. Her office was beautiful: a leafy campus with coffee bars, clubs, even a gym. Work and life blended perfectly—until she lost her job.
When her employment ended, she lost not just her role but her identity. Porous boundaries between work and personal life had blurred everything. The result? Emotional exhaustion, relationship challenges, and declining mental health.
After a painful reset, she’s now rebuilding her life and career—this time with clearer priorities and firmer boundaries.
Don’t Aim for an Emotional Lobotomy—Just Healthier Limits
You don’t need surgery to set boundaries. But you do need a plan, tools, and consistent practice. Healthy workplace boundaries make a world of difference to your productivity, job satisfaction, and overall health.
Here are three simple ways to set healthy work-life boundaries:
1. Time boundaries
Set clear start and finish times. Define when you work—and when you don’t. That means no emails at 6am or 9pm. Protect your workday and your leisure time with hard boundaries.
2. Place boundaries
Create physical zones for work and non-work. Your desk is for tasks; your kitchen table is for friends and family. Keep your bedroom, bathroom, and living spaces as work-free zones to encourage real rest.
3. Headspace boundaries
Shift your mindset when work ends. Change clothes, take a walk, listen to music—anything that marks the transition. These small rituals help you maintain mental health, support creativity, and prevent stress from bleeding into your private life.
Work Like a Human
The goal isn’t to live in extremes like Carl or Susan. It’s to create boundaries that protect your energy, health, and personal goals, while still allowing for connection, flexibility, and joy.
Because in real life—not Hollywood—life integration is healthier than total separation.
If you’re struggling to find your balance, take my Work-Life Balance Quiz for personalised advice and strategies to help you build boundaries that actually work for you.
To keep building a life that feels balanced, focused, and human, explore how Career Coaching can help you find clarity. Or dive deeper into practical strategies with my book Focus in the Age of Distraction.
