Firstly, I had a lovely break and thoroughly enjoyed my time away from “business as usual” these past two weeks.

Well, if I’m being honest, it was more like 10 days because there was that meeting I needed to attend last week and that prospect call I needed to schedule. Oh yeah, and those emails I really couldn’t let sit.

You get the idea.

I hate that we’ve made work so central and pervasive to our lives, and as much as I try to maintain my boundaries, it’s still hard, especially when I feel like the outlier rather than the norm.

If more people were willing to shut off their devices and protect their personal time, we wouldn’t live in such a hustle culture.

Oh, how I hate hustle culture, not just because it’s the fast lane to burnout, but because the notion that human beings can work, work, work without negative consequences is ridiculous and, dare I say, dangerous.

It also deludes people into thinking that if they just work hard all the time, then success will follow. The number of shuttered businesses tells a very different story.

After all, 80% of entrepreneurs can’t all be slackers.

Twice over the past two weeks, I had conversations around boundaries.

The first was related to a friend who never feels comfortable taking time off. This is not just a problem with work but with her personal life, too.

You know you have boundary issues if:

• Your sense of obligation to others consistently wins out over self-care.
• You start and/or end your day answering emails, responding to texts, or trying to get a jump on tomorrow. If you take your devices to bed, this is you.
• You worry what others will think if you don’t respond immediately to messages, needs, and requests.
• You feel anxiety just at the thought of setting automatic replies to your emails and shutting off your devices for an entire day (let alone an afternoon).
• You fantasize about having a day to yourself, but when you do, you still feel a need to check in with work, clients, employees, etc.

If any of these rings true for you, you may want to check out my previous post on How to Say “No.”

The second conversation about boundaries was with another friend and fellow business consultant who congratulated herself for setting some around her business and personal relationships over the past few weeks—finally!

“It is hard,” she said, “but so worth it.”

If the boon to her business is any indication, she’s so right.

Here’s some advice about how to get started if you find you do indeed have boundary issue:

• Start with small things, like setting a start and/or end time for your workday and holding yourself to it.
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• Use technology to help you—set focus or do not disturb hours on your devices and turn off notifications.
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• Get support from your partner, best friend, and/or closest ally so they can help you, encourage you, and listen to you as you transition.
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• Steel yourself for some backlash. When you set boundaries, some people in your life and business will not like it. Prepare yourself for that, and don’t let it stop you.

By setting boundaries, you not only take care of yourself, you also take care of your relationships because they enable you to show up authentically and happily each and every time.

And here’s an important thing to remember about boundaries—the more you get used to setting them, the easier they are to maintain.

Until next week, don't forget to carve out time to relax and rejuvenate. You deserve it each and every day.

Need help setting boundaries, managing your time and/or priorities, or just want someone to talk to about your business strategy?

Get yourself on my fall calendar before it fills up.

PS - In case you missed it, before leaving for vacation I was Having One of Those Days.​

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