There’s no mistaking it – we work day and night, night and day to be the best in our fields. If you’re passionate about your work you probably find yourself missing a life outside of work where at the end of the day you’re no more social than the guy who was watching TV for 12 hours a day.  That’s not to say that your work isn’t worth while or less time efficient than the guy watching TV, but let’s face it – we’re human and interaction with people face-to-face is important (no video-chat and Facetime doesn’t count). It can sometimes benefit your work more than you expect! How so you may ask? Here’s a few thoughts and suggestions that might get you up and away from the computer:

1. Meet with like-minded individuals
There’s nothing more satisfying than talking to others who have the same interests and passions as you. Not only are you away from your desk, you’re building stronger connections with those in your field who may be able to provide ideas and opportunities you may have not come across or thought of otherwise.

2. Designate time to work and time to network
If you the type that feel your job is everything, then plan out your time so that you know when you’re working and when you’re networking. Keep in mind though that not everyone wants to talk about their day job on a weekend – there are other things occurring in the world like sports, broken lives of celebrities, evening news, and what the guy or girl down the road did.

3. Remember to sleep
Whatever you may think about sleep, the fact of the matter is is that you’re not a robot. You need to sleep and you’ll be more productive if you get a good night’s rest. The world will not shut down if you go to bed an hour early, your company will not go bankrupt if you nap for 30 min. Sometimes it actually helps to alleviate problematic development issues or creative block. Not to mention people will know that they’re talking to a sane person (one who can think with a clear head because they get enough rest to be able to).

4. Pick up a hobby
This may or may not be related to your job, but it must be something that gives you satisfaction, something that others can view and use attest to your realness as a sane person (instead of a workaholic).

5. Outsource your work
This may sound counter intuitive to productivity of your company and your income but you can’t do everything yourself. If you really want your company to grow and you want to have a social life you have to let someone else take the reins sometimes. Large companies do this constantly and there is good reason for it. Look into it, it might be just the thing for you!

What ideas can you think of that can help increase your productivity whilst giving yourself a chance to have a social life? Be creative now, I’m sure if you’re reading this article you have a mind creative enough to come up with something I haven’t mentioned here. Let’s hear it!