Bosses get angry when their workers spend too much time gabbing on the phone with friends. And employees get frustrated when their supervisors call them in the evenings and on weekends.

Jim Bird, founder and CEO of WorkLifeBalance.com, said both life and work would be more fulfilling and more productive if we drew some boundaries.

“There are calls we take at work that we really don’t need to take and calls we don’t need to take at home,” he said. “Distinguishing between those things can really improve your work-life balance.”

Bird said individuals and workplaces prosper when work and life are in their proper places.

“On the personal side, if you’re going to recharge and get value out of your time with your family or friends, that’s going to come from really being with them when you’re with them,” he said. Cell phones are useful tools, he said, but they often destroy the moment.

“One outside call can instantaneously change the chemistry of that time,” Bird said.

Taking a cell-phone call — or even looking at the incoming number without taking the call —when you’re with another person tells that person that the call is more important than he or she is, Bird said.

Your life, Bird said, “is made up of this constant string of right-nows.”

Here are some of his tips for managing your cell phone instead of letting it manage you:

Worry less. “As a parent, you want to stay connected to your child, but many times that’s not necessary. Our children survived for eons with us being away from them for an hour or two at a time.”

Focus. “Focus on where you are and what you’re doing at the moment,” he said. “When you’re focused on being productive or you’re just enjoying life, let the damn thing ring and don’t even look at who it is.”

Disconnect. “Disconnect from your cell phone and your other technology at least once during your day. Go to lunch for 30 minutes. And don’t answer the phone during dinner with your family.” All of us, he said, need some time alone.

Have a cutoff time. Turn off your cell phone and don’t look at e-mails after an established time. “My policy is no work after dinner. So when I’m sitting down at dinner, it’s unwind time from there.”

That leisure time doesn’t just mean letting go of work. It also means no major personal decisions.

“You don’t want to be e-mailing or phoning your brother (late at night) about the nursing home for your father.”