How to Set Boundaries for a Healthy Life by Polly Sla

How to Set Boundaries for a Healthy Life

August 2, 2023

There comes a time in everyone’s journey when a long hard look at your boundaries is necessary. But how do we even begin to set boundaries?

A lot of us are eager individuals, doing anything and everything to move the needle forward…even if that means looking past setting healthy boundaries for ourselves.

The truth is, my life and business does better when I have firm set boundaries that I actually stick to. That, plus having solid streamlined processes helps me achieve more work and life balance which in turn impacts my overall mental health.

If you’re in a spot of burnout and need to work on setting solid boundaries, I recommend starting here:

Have time to unwind in the evening and go to bed at a reasonable time.

I used to stay up until 2 or 3 am working because I didn’t know how to manage my time when it came to work. This was a recipe for disaster and quickly led me to burnout. I now know how valuable sleep is and prioritize time to rest and recharge.

Set boundaries when you check your email, texts, notifications, etc.

I used to struggle with being a people pleaser which meant I’d jump and respond if anyone needed anything, even if I was in the middle of doing something else. That just made me distracted and led me to complete overwhelm! So what did I do differently? I set timeframes for when I respond to messages. It’s very rare that something is urgent and needs a response right away so I must protect my time and energy and respond at a time that works best for me.

Only work during designated hours so you don’t mix work and personal time together.

Now this may be a tough one depending on what your job is! You might work outside your home and bring work home with you, or perhaps you may work completely from the comfort of your own home. Whichever category you fit in, make sure you try your best to separate your work time from your personal time.

My business hours are Monday- Friday between 9 am-4 pm. I am clocked out of work outside of those hours (this means no meetings or responding to business messages) to focus on my family and other priorities. My systems and processes allow me to get everything done on a daily basis and not work outside of my hours regularly. Using a project management tool like ClickUp* helps me stay organized and on top of things.

I hope you find these tips helpful and if you’re in a season of burnout, I see you. I know you can get out and work toward better work and life balance.

If you’re looking for more on how I practice self-care in my life and business, check out my blog post on how I invest in my health as a business owner. (This post is great for non-business owners too!)