How To Set Healthy Boundaries With Your Work Life

Have you ever been just about to close up your laptop and shift from your work-at-home time to family time, only to have an email notification ping? Maybe a client has a last-minute, urgent project that needs to happen now? Or a neighbor wants you to watch her kids again just as you’re getting ready to settle into work, “because you’re always home?” For professionals, freelancers, and especially working parents, setting healthy boundaries with your work life isn’t just nice to have. It’s a must for maintaining a work-life balance that lets you thrive in your business and as a parent.

So where do you draw the line between work and personal time? How do you make sure you have enough energy and enthusiasm for your career, your family – and yourself?. And maybe more importantly, how do you do that when you work from home?

We want to help!

 First, we’ll look at how to assess your life to figure out where you might want to place boundaries. Then, we’ll explore a few practical strategies that will help you set healthy boundaries with work and the rest of life, so you can find your balance.

Ready? Let’s go!

Understand the Heart of Work Boundaries

Work boundaries are the invisible lines that define when, where, and how you deal with your professional responsibilities. They make sure your work life doesn’t spill over into personal time, disrupting the balance.

But when you work at home, they can also protect against your personal life taking over your work time. For example, I used to get overwhelmed by house and yard work. It would weigh on my mind and distract me from attending to my client projects. If you’ve ever been there, you might need to set boundaries that protect your work-at-home time, as I did.

How do you know if you need work boundaries? If you have a lot of stress or overwhelm around getting your work done or setting it aside, you might. If work starts invading your personal space, or you can never seem to get it all done, that can cause burnout and even health issues. Setting boundaries might make a huge difference in maintaining your mental health. And they can boost your productivity and happiness, too!

What Work-Life Boundaries Are Healthy For You?

Okay, so maybe you can see the point of setting work boundaries, but you’re not sure which ones you need.

How do you figure that out?

No worries – we’ve got a few quick questions to help you along.

• What causes you the most stress in the work part of your work-from-home life right now? Do you feel like your work life is taking over your personal life? Or maybe it’s the other way around, and you can never find the time to work? These moments of stress can show you where you might want to focus first.
• Ask your friends and family what you mention most often to them. Sometimes, the people closest to us notice things we can’t see because we’re too close to them. Be prepared to listen without being defensive; they’re trying to help you make things better, not point out your faults.
• Do some experimenting. Trial and error can often work if you really don’t know what to change first. Pick something small and play with it. Maybe just “I won’t check my email while my kid is in the tub.” Pay attention to how it feels in the moment and how it changes things. Adjust as needed, or pick another boundary if the first one doesn’t seem to be getting you where you want to go.
• Try one of the ideas below. These are all common work boundaries that make life better for many people who set them. One or more of them might be just what you need – or they might put you on the trail of the boundaries that will work best for you.

Establish Your Ideal Work Hours

One of the most basic steps in setting healthy work-life boundaries is setting aside specific times to work. Make sure they fit into your family life and your own energy levels. That might mean embracing your early bird or night owl tendencies or breaking up your work sessions throughout the day or week. You might work during your toddler’s naptime, or while kids are in school or after bedtime.

Or you might be like me and do short work sprints that let you do other things in between.

Whatever you settle on, it’s important to find the pace that lets you be productive without sacrificing personal time or sanity. Don’t be afraid to play around with this until you feel it’s right. Or to revisit if things change with your work or family life.

Once you know when you want to start and stop working, you’re a lot closer to finding peaceful harmony between work-from-home and family life. This simple change can help you stay focused during work hours, meet your parental responsibilities – and enjoy downtime without guilt, too.

Be Open About Your Availability

Effective communication is key when it comes to maintaining work boundaries. Being upfront about your availability can manage expectations for everyone.

This doesn’t just apply to your work-from-home clients, partner, and kids, though. If you have friends and neighbors who stop by during work hours or expect you to always be free to do a favor, let them know that just because you’re home doesn’t mean you’re available to have a cup of coffee or run them to the auto shop.

Share your work schedule with everyone who might be affected by it, and remind them if you need to. Be clear about when you can be reached by clients and when you’re free for the rest of life. This sets a standard for how everyone should respect your time (including you). This transparency fosters trust and respect, making it easier to stick to the boundaries you set.

Even better, you’ll be able to deliver quality work and be present for the other things and people that matter to you.

The Art of Taking Breaks and Unplugging

Stepping away from your work lets your brain recharge. And that can improve your focus and creativity. So why not try giving yourself mini-breaks throughout your day? You can create a boundary around not working until all your muscles are stiff and your brain is mush. =)

I often blend simple household tasks with work sessions. Sometimes I declutter, do dishes, fold laundry, or walk my dogs. This recharges my body and gives my brain a break. Plus,I don’t have to think about those tasks when I’ve finished my client care for the day.

Unplugging during your work-from-home day, even if it’s just for a few minutes, can reduce stress and prevent burnout. You’ll probably return to work refreshed and ready to move forward again.

Break Free From Unhealthy Work Habits

Some habits get in the way of your productivity and can even affect your mental health. So you might want to kick bad work habits to the curb, especially ones that blur the lines between your work and personal life. This can be very important when your workplace and home are in the same building!

Do you find yourself constantly checking emails during family time? Saying “yes” to a new scope-creep job from a client, then canceling date night? Always feeling rushed because you’ve left your work for the last minute yet again? Snapping at your kids because you have a deadline?

If you can recognize these patterns and consciously decide to change them, you can create a healthier work-life balance, not to mention better relationships!

Conclusion: Set Healthy Boundaries To Make Work-From-Home Really Work

Setting healthy boundaries with your work life is about taking care of yourself, your family, and your clients without making yourself crazy. Taking small steps to create the boundaries you need will really pay off later. And maintaining them will set a strong foundation for a fulfilling work-from-home life.

So take the time to work through what boundaries could really help you. Then work on building them one at a time, tweaking until you feel they’re solid. Before you know it, your work-from-home life can make sense, flowing easily along with your personal life.

What healthy boundaries can you set with your work life to make it fit better with The Rest of Life?