I personally prefer a more fluid interaction between my life and my work, but it's important to have concrete delineations between "work" and "life" mindsets.

I personally prefer a more fluid interaction between my life and my work, but it's important to have concrete delineations between "work" and "life" mindsets. I learned this lesson quite quickly while working as a resident assistant at my university. In a sense, my job, my studies, and my life all took place in the same small room. If I didn't control my space, I wasn't able to be productive, and thus I became stressed. I built a solution around my door. If it was closed, residents couldn't come in, and I couldn't go out. I had to be studying. There had to be a reason that I was isolating myself. If it was open, I had to be interacting with my residents. Running or planning events on the floor, socializing in the lounge, and building stronger connections with the community. I wasn't allowed to isolate myself. Anything in between - browsing the web, reading, or idly poking at work - and the door was cracked. Find a signal and make it known to others, and to yourself. Make sure it has a real impact: you can't collaborate through a closed door. And don't forget to build in time to get away from it all. For a startup compound? Get a bulky desktop computer for work and a sleek laptop for play. Never let them within an arms length of each other.