Why your success ... and health relies on boundaries

 

Flexible or 'hybrid' working as it's being referred to is here to stay and many of us are happy about that, including myself.  I've gained an extra hour every morning and evening thanks to no commute and I've been using it wisely.  Right from the first day of working from home, I made the decision to use my extra time productively and not waste it by staying in bed longer every morning, or working late every night.

BUT, the success of working from home, and keeping sane and healthy, relies on one thing ... boundaries.  Creating those gaps between your work and home life.  Back in the old days, it was easy as you had your commute time to make that transition from home to work and work to home.  When that disappeared, some people struggled to create those same kind of boundaries and things became a little fuzzy round the edges.

This topic is particularly important to me this week because in all honesty my boundaries have been smashed to pieces, gates left open, walls pushed over, doors kicked in and I've let it happen.  Working 4 days a week is challenging at the best of times but trying to cram everything into just 3 days last week absolutely broke me.  When you're up against deadlines though, it's not always easy to just walk away at the end of the day and switch off.  Thankfully, these moments are few and far between but it did highlight the whole 'boundary' thing to me.

If times like these are becoming more common to you though, then you really need to stop and think.  Watch out for some telltale signs of stress and burnout such as fatigue, feeling irritable, not being able to think straight, restless sleep and feeling anxious.  Unchecked and ignored, it could lead to other physical conditions such as high blood pressure and weight gain.

First of all, break the cycle, burnout is a vicious cycle that is difficult to break free of without making changes that can feel counter-productive to start with.  Start by making very small changes so you don't instantly fall back into the 'I need to get this finished' trap.  Take 10 mins out of your day at some point to 'simply be', in other words, just relax and try to quieten your mind.  Shut off your phone and laptop, sit quietly, close your eyes and focus on your breathing, or go for a walk and leave your phone at home.

What else?

• Create an 'start of day' and 'end of day' routine.  What absolutely needs to be done that day?  Write down only 3 tasks at a time.  If you complete them, re-prioritise and write down another 3.  Then at the end of the day, carry over your remaining tasks to the next day and add any new ones - by completely emptying your head of tasks, it can help to clear your mind and switch off for the evening.  Yes, of course they're still there and need doing but hopefully they're not whizzing round and round your head while you're trying to spend quality time with your family and friends.

• What is your purpose?  Yep, sounds quite deep and meaningful doesn't it but by thinking about what it is you are actually trying to achieve at work can help put things into perspective.  We all want to do our best, of course we do, and we don't deliberately set out to make mistakes and upset other people but seriously, is the world going to end because you forgot to send that report to your colleague or book a meeting?  It's not going to feel nice when you realise what you've done (or not done) but no-one's going to die because of it (if your job is a doctor that could be a different matter!).

• Speak to your line manager and colleagues.  If you know there's a really busy period coming up then talk about it with your line manager and colleagues.  Divvy up the work if possible, agree who is going to do what and by when and tell your colleagues about any days that you absolutely cannot start work early / finish late so that they know well ahead of time.

• Create an actual physical boundary between your work space and home space.  If you're lucky enough to have a home office then close the door at the end of your working day.  If you're struggling for space and find yourself perched on the end of the dining room table, then at least ensure you shut down your laptop, turn off your phone and turn any papers face down so you can't see things.  If needs be, resort to the ridiculous and put a blanket over your workstation so you can't physically see it.

• Know your 'triggers'.  I know I'm getting stressed about things because I'll do things and then a few hours later, can't remember that I've actually done them so I'll end up checking and re-checking and flitting from one thing to another and another.  Knowing your stress triggers is half the battle and that's exactly the right time to shout 'STOP' and walk away for 10 minutes.

Hopefully, this has given you something to think about.  It's absolutely fine to start early / finish late once in a while but when it starts to become the 'norm' and work takes over every area of your life, you need to stop and recognise the signs before things spiral out of control.

#2021