Work Boundaries: Why and How
You’ve likely heard the term “work-life balance,” which refers to how you split time between a career and the other parts of your life. Putting work boundaries in place is essential to maintaining good emotional and physical health.
When you have a good work-life balance, you can align your activities to the values that are important to you. It also ensures you can work on relationships in your personal life to enjoy a happier existence.
Why Implement Work Boundaries
Without work boundaries, you’re more likely to do more than you can handle, avoid taking time off, and agree to do tasks you don’t have time for. It can also result in you working off the clock or doing the work of more than one person.
These things might not sound bad when they stand alone, but they can quickly add up. As time goes on, they can result in less happiness and productivity. Eventually, you may feel a sense of dread when you need to go to work.
Nobody can keep this up forever. You’ll end up with too much going on and suffer burnout. However, there are several things you can do to avoid this occurring. Prioritize good work-life balance in the ways we’ll explore below.
How to Create Work Boundaries
The first thing you need to do is assess what boundaries you need and how you will implement them. Boundaries come from your priorities in life. Be aware of your limits, listen to your feelings, and permit yourself to have boundaries. After that, you can look into the environment and find ways to improve it.
After you’ve chosen the boundaries that matter to you, make sure those things are communicated with others. This can be as simple as letting team members know that you won’t take calls or emails past 6 PM. When you communicate early, you avoid potential miscommunication.
Structure is essential to working so you want to create a structure for your boundaries from the start. This avoids any anxiety or stress around what is allowed and what isn’t. For instance, if you have certain blocks of time when everyone knows you aren’t to be disturbed, you’re less likely to have someone come knocking on your door.
It's also important to be sure your work relationships are professional. Many people have a close friend or confidante at work and that’s okay. However, the majority of your work relationships should be fully professional. There needs to be a separation between coworkers and friends.
While you’re at it, make sure you take time off when you have it. The worst thing you can do for your mental health is to let this time expire. Use the free time you have and recharge for when you come back into the office. Being happy and well-rested will benefit you and the rest of the team.
Final Thoughts
Now that you know why work boundaries are needed and how to set them up, all you have to do is take the plunge and make some changes. If you’re having trouble setting boundaries or adhering to them, don’t be afraid to seek out help. A therapist can work you through the process so you can enjoy both work and the rest of your life.