The Beauty of Boundaries

What are Boundaries

Boundaries are guidelines we set for ourselves that show others how they should behave when they interact with us. Setting boundaries is one of the most important things you can do to improve your overall wellbeing.

Boundaries are essential for setting your limits and establishing a well-balanced life. They are great because they can increase your productivity and happiness at work and outside of work.

How Do I Pick a Boundary to Set? 

If you’re unsure of what type of boundary to set, start by setting a time boundary! 

A time boundary is a predetermined time limit for specific activities. Allotting certain amounts of time to tasks allows us to keep track of how long they take and helps us keep our focus. 

Setting time boundaries also helps others to understand when we are available and helps us set limits on how much we are willing to work outside of work. 

Sample Time Boundaries to Set

• Designated times to respond to email
• No phones at the dinner table or kids’ events
• Saving mundane tasks for after hours (payables)
• Designating a full or half day for no meetings
• Honoring predetermined meeting lengths

Implementing Boundaries 

Setting boundaries is a personal responsibility. You and only you can choose what types of boundaries to implement in your life and you must be the one to honor them. If you want to check your emails less, try to check them at the same time every day and turn off email notifications on your phone. If you don’t want to work on the weekends, you must be the one to honor not working on the weekends. 

Implementing and following through on time boundaries takes practice and patience because you need to reteach people what to expect from you. This can be a LOT of work if you work a lot and respond quickly. But, if you stick with it and keep honoring your priorities, it is so worth the effort!