How Do I Separate My Work and Personal Phone?

In today’s highly connected and digitized world, the line between personal time and work has substantially sublimed. The crazy tiny computers on our pockets and handbags keep us connected to chats, emails, to-do lists, and tasks around the clock, sometimes even when it’s not necessary.

But as technology continues to envelope more aspects of our daily lives, job demands can quickly shove their way into one’s personal time. If you’re deeply entangled in a specific digital ecosystem, whether Microsoft, iOS, or Google android, separating church from the state can be challenging. The result has a real psychological impact.

A clear distinction between personal life and work doesn’t just keep you sane–it’s also a smart entrepreneurial strategy.

Drawing the line

The smartphone offers lots of compartmentalization challenges. Unless you have specialized configurations that cordon personal stuff from office stuff, your phone is linked to a single account. Any additional G Suite, Google, and other platforms’ accounts are just secondary.

Fortunately, it’s now easier than ever to separate personal life from work functions. Smartphone manufacturers now incorporate additional intelligent features that separate your professional and personal sides.

Of course, each product comes with unique capabilities, so there’s no standard procedure for creating the balance. However, the following best practices apply to smartphone users across all operating systems.

Organize the screen

This is arguably the most straightforward thing to do but is easily forgotten. Keep your apps organized on different screens, with one section for your business apps and the other containing personal app icons. Doing this reduces your maneuvers across screens, and you’ll always be at the appropriate section during work or play.

Do not disturb

This smartphone function is an excellent way of preventing work from disrupting your personal time or vice versa. After enabling it, you’ll have no notifications interrupting your workflow regardless of where you are. Different phones offer more advanced versions of the Do Not Disturb feature that let you schedule the routines based on your timelines or location.

Dual Messengers

Most smartphones offer dual messaging capability. For instance, Samsung’s Dual Messenger lets users switch between separate accounts on the same application. So if you have messenger or social media accounts for both personal use and work, you can run both on the same device. Once enabled, you’ll see a second app icon on the home screen.

Leverage applications

Several smartphone apps can help you distinguish personal and business data. Besides the clear boundary, these apps also provide corporate IT with the necessary controls and security to protect business apps and secure data. Employees will enjoy personal device privacy, government-grade encryption, and a collection of professional business apps for productivity on the go.

Important Considerations

Employees that use their own tablets or mobile devices for work purposes should understand that their companies are allowed to wipe the device remotely when they’ve left the company. So if you continually save personal pictures on your company phone, there’s a significant risk of losing the precious moments.

According to a publication on the Wall Street Journal, workers have experienced unanticipated implications after their employers wiped the devices with little or no prior notice during or after their stints. So ensure you always back up your data to avoid such surprises.

Security Is Critical

Whether you use one or separate smartphones, it’s essential to take the proper security precautions to protect the stored data. According to PC World, one of the best and most straightforward ways to protect your device is by leveraging hardware encryption. This technology converts all the data in the device into nearly unreadable junk until it’s properly unlocked using the correct password.

Another critical data security best practice for your Orange County business is partnering with a reputable IT company, and this is where Technijian comes in. For over two decades, we’ve offered tech support to hundreds of organizations in the county to buffer their system security and reduce IT costs.

Schedule a free consultation or reach out if you have questions.