How to Set Boundaries at Work
The Freedom in Setting Boundaries at Work
It was a Saturday afternoon. In Soho, I met up with a friend. We talked about work, our passion projects, writing, photography and moving to New York. We met in Canada while studying business together. We laughed about our demanding jobs, both past and present, though realized how wonderful it was that we were finally in a place where we could catch up without the angst of thinking “my boss can call me at any point and ask me to come into work”. This wasn’t the reality a couple of years back. In the midst of the busiest city in the world, I realized I had found a way to live harmoniously. Note, I’m stealing that term from Scooter Braun, who shared it during his interview with Ashley Graham on “Pretty Big Deal”. While there are long days, weeks and on the rare occasion, weekend, we had been freed, all by knowing how to use the words “yes” and “no”.
“Instead of thinking of boundaries as what you’re saying ‘No’ to, ask yourself what you want to say ‘Yes’ to. Doing so, you’ll be able to communicate more easily, based on the life you want to live. ”
Tips for Living a Harmonious Life
As we said goodbye after a good ol’ fashion iced matcha latte, I walked the streets on my own and reflected on the days this mental freedom was a privilege. I wasn’t always in a position where I could live the life I wanted to, let alone have “me” time, and whether that comes with age, starting out a corporate career in a demanding space, an unpleasant manager, or more, it’s a reality for many. In this video, I point out 4 helpful tips that have guided my path unto setting appropriate boundaries.
Prove Your Worth Where are you in your life? Are you starting out your career? Are you starting a new job? Learning to answer these questions fairly can help you understand when and how to push back versus when to give more time and dedication to your career. Proving your worth to your team, boss, employer and having them know they can depend on you and your work is the first step. Whether it’s a new job or project, the prep work is always more time and effort consuming than later on in the road. If there is a promotion opportunity coming up, it’s also a good chance for you to step up your game. Ultimately, proving your worth on a consistent basis is helpful for when you’re then looking at other parts of you life to “balance” or dedicate more time to. This is of course, not absolute. Simply, a helpful perspective in knowing that there is a time to push back, while there are other times your best bet is to [healthily] pay your dues.
Determine Your Personal KPI’s Personal KPI’s were introduced to me when working with a Project Leader in management consulting. He asked for mine. I had no idea what he meant. He explained that personal KPI’s are the activities we hope to protect or meet in the week. Some people on his team would use the following examples:
Go on a date on Wednesdays
Call parents / family every evening during travel weeks
Work out every morning before work I never gave personal KPI’s much of a thought as I would ideally think “all of the above?!” but even if that’s the case, writing down what’s important to you on a weekly or daily basis can help you make the time. Ultimately, KPI’s are like benchmarks and you won’t always hit them but it at least gives you a guide to know how to track your personal life’s success - just like you do for your job. It also helps you find ways to communicate those KPI’s with your employer - when appropriate.
Turn Your ‘No’ Into a ‘Yes’ Instead of thinking of boundaries as what you're saying 'No' to, ask yourself what you want to say 'Yes' to. Doing so, you'll be able to communicate more easily, based on the life you want to live.
Surround Yourself With People Who Respect Your Boundaries Once you know what you want, and learn to communicate your boundaries with others, understand who is willing to respect them. In doing so, you’ll respect yourself, and live in harmony.
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