How to keep your divorce from killing your career
Whether your divorce came out of the blue or was something you saw happening from a mile away, it still has the capacity to turn your life upside down. It's easy to get caught up in the emotions that are playing out — and the energy drain can be significant.
You're also worried about how your private life can remain private when your marital woes keep spilling over at work. Here are some tips you can use to cope:
- Organize your time. Don't try to squeeze a meeting in with your attorney (or your spouse) during lunch hours or first thing in the morning. The emotional drain will likely affect you the rest of the day. Aim for end-of-the-day meetings whenever possible.
- Choose an attorney who's convenient. While location isn't everything, an attorney whose office is near yours will be more easily accessible than one who requires an hour-long commute every time you have to go to the office.
- Keep your documents off your computer desktop. Your divorce documents and financial records should probably not be on your work computer at all. If, for any reason, you do have to store some documents there, put them in a private folder where they're out of sight.
- Don't take your spouse's calls at work. You can answer calls in the morning before work starts, at lunch (when you have a little privacy) and after work ends. That way, your attention isn't split and you don't risk any ugly scenes on the job.
- Let your boss know. You're going to probably need to take a few hours off, here and there. Let your boss know what's happening so that there are no surprises.
A divorce is usually a roller coaster ride, emotionally-speaking, but it doesn't have to damage your career. Find out more about how to minimize your stress and get through your divorce as quickly as possible.