Indeed, that is the healthier way to go about things.

Personally, I struggle with that kind of compartmentalisation, but I would probably be healthier if I could do that. I have never lasted long when doing work that I'm not passionate about, and when I am passionate about work, it's hard to not bring it home (even if that's just working on stuff adjacent to the task).

I know a lot of people who work in academia, and it's simultaneously inspiring and depressing to see how people's research interests end up bleeding into basically all elements of their regular life. I think some people are just wired that way. I wish that they had the freedom to engage in that in a more healthy way, free from the additional bullshit that Capitalism heaps onto them, making the dynamic so toxic.

However, given that we do live under such oppressive economic conditions, "work to live, not live to work" is an essential mantra to aspire towards, especially the people who put their whole heart into their work. It's not ideal, but it is necessary to learn if we want to survive without burning out.