Don't take your home to work with you

The classic adage is "don't take your work home with you", and that's a wonderful philosophy to live by.  You don't want to come running home and take the stress from work out on your significant other, the apartment you rent, the car you built or your pet.  The message is clear and concise, and important.  "Leave the stress of your job at your job", and "check your problems at the time clock" are also classic adages that convey the same message.  But what happens in the other direction.
People don't ever think the other direction.  Don't take your home to work with you.  What does this mean??  Over the last two weeks I've had everything in my social/personal life just fall apart.  A recent ex tried to contact me on monday, a friend's mother passed away on thursday, snow on friday, my buddy getting arrested and spending a weekend in jail over the weekend, my cousin's friend stole gasoline in a car that had a plate registered to me the next monday, so the detective came looking for me, then the wake and funeral for my friend's mom on tuesday and wednesday.  Plus a girl I had feelings for years ago left the guy who stole her from me in the mix there too somewhere.  Everything just happened all at once.  But for the time I was at work, which is only 8 and a half hours a day, I checked those things in my car,  and here's why.
Dealing with your problems leads to distraction.  That's one of the biggest reasons.  I realize that not everyone does manual labor, but distraction leads to accidents, and when you're lifting 500 lb transmissions, accidents can turn deadly.  Distractions also slow down productivity in any job.  The more product we can push, the more things we can fix, the more papers that can get pushed, the more jobs that can get created, and the better we can make our economy.  Dealing with your life outside of work while at work also leads to social anxiety, and leads to poor teamwork, which also slows productivity.  The third thing that the stress of every day life brings into the workplace is sickness.  I checked my issue with my ex in my car that next day, but what I couldn't let go of was the stress induced stomach ache that came with it.  I threw up four times at work that day.  I didn't let it stop me but it definitely slowed me down.  Most of America would have run home after the first time, and i considered throwing in the towel myself.  In fact if it hadn't been my second day in my new location, I probably would have.  And nothing stops productivity faster than not being there.  Now I realize that this last one seems to say that I have brought my home to work with me, let me explain my point.  I was sick all day from the stress of this even without thinking about it all day.  Now imagine how sick I would have been if I had my head had been buried in the problem at hand.  I don't think I'd have been able to even attempt to do my job.
So there you have it.  Keep your home life at home, and keep your job at your job.  Keep a happy home, and a safe and productive workplace.  Don't cross the two, and don't let the problems of the two interfere, and keep your stress level down.  And don't forget, as mentioned in a previous entry, don't date co workers, that's the ultimate bring your work home with you.