Practical Tips: Keep Good Boundaries

Professional athletes know that achieving peak performance involves a balance between training hard and recovery time. You’ve probably heard that weight lifters don’t exercise the same muscles every day. That’s because the day of recovery is when muscle growth actually occurs. It’s the same for you. If you are constantly working without incorporating any time to process/recover from your daily stress, you will become inefficient over time…not to mention cranky.

Try these tips to put some boundaries between work and life:

Schedule Recovery Time
Plan vacation time in advance and make everyone aware of it. There is never a “good” time for a vacation. Figure out what works best for you, clear it with your manager, and schedule it. And go!

Book “You” Time
At work, make sure you take some time for yourself each day. Don’t always work through lunch. Go outside. Meet a friend. Talk to a friend while eating at your desk. Take a mental break.

Set Daily Deadlines
When you look at your schedule for the day, figure out what time you want to leave work. Then manage to that deadline just like you do any other. If this is hard for you, then make plans with others—it’s more difficult to let others down than it is ourselves.

Remember these boundaries help you be a better employee—you’ll be more effective, efficient and happier if you have more balance in your life.

You are welcome to reprint this article as long as you include the following in its entirety: Reprinted from “Our Corporate Life®,” a biweekly ezine featuring practical tips and tools for navigating the corporate world. © MMXI Amanda Mitchell, Our Corporate Life, LLC. Subscribe at www.ourcorporatelife.com