I'm going through this same exact problem. The biggest challenge, for me, is preventing my extracurricular activities from bleeding into my consciousness durin

I'm going through this same exact problem. The biggest challenge, for me, is preventing my extracurricular activities from bleeding into my consciousness during the day job and creating a huge distraction. By definition, if I'm doing something EC in my precious spare time, it's because I find it interesting and/or fulfilling. Therefore, it's kind of hard to direct my thoughts anywhere else when I need them focused on my work activities. I'd be curious for any feedback you or others might have. The solution that is partially working for me is to wake up early and do "pre-work" EC activities. I'm not an early morning person, so this is somewhat of a lifestyle shift. I find that getting a solid 1.5 to 2 hours in the morning to fire off emails on the side project or work on some coding/thought challenges enables me to focus at work more.