Be Bold in 2020!
How often do you experience nights where you say to yourself, “I’m just going to answer one last client email” or “I’m just going to finish one last item on my to-do list?” You convince yourself that your client would appreciate you more if you answer right away, and won’t that mean one less thing for you to do in the morning? You have the best intentions of winding down after you finish that “one more thing,” but the one message turns into scrolling through more emails, and all of a sudden it’s almost midnight. Your mind is still full-speed ahead, and you’re staring at the ceiling stressing about your to-do list. The next day you feel like you got hit by a bus.
Ah! I faced many of those sleepless nights and inner battles when I worked in the corporate world. Yes, I figured out how to include exercise and meal prep in my schedule, but my stress was high, coffee was my best friend, and I pretty much ran on adrenaline. I’d LOVE to say that the light bulb went on back then and that I realized something needed to change. But it wasn’t until I started a home-run business that I finally had my “aha” moment.
For home-run business owners there is no such thing as “leaving the office.” I worked later and paid more attention to finishing my to-do list than to my husband. Since I didn’t give my brain enough time to shut down before bed, sleep was still an issue. I wasn't able to be my best self for my husband or my clients. After dealing with all that, I FINALLY decided that enough was enough and it was time to set better boundaries.
In this world of constant communication, we set an expectation that we have to respond to people immediately and that we must always be “on.” We create a mindset that if we’re not working, we’re not being productive. We add more to our to-do lists, and those extra hours lead to stress and fatigue. Our job suffers and WE suffer physically and emotionally—and that defeats the purpose of trying to be more productive in the first place.
It’s time to hit that “off” switch and set BOLD boundaries, take back your health, your sanity, and your relationships while you kick even more butt in your career. When you begin to set better boundaries, you say no to others so you can FINALLY say YES to yourself
YES! to more sleep
YES! to increased energy
YES! to spending more quality time with your loved ones
YES! to more time to focus on you and your wellness goals!
When you set better boundaries and say YES to yourself, you will feel better and become more productive in the long haul – a double win!! Below are 5 action steps you can take to set bolder boundaries today:
Establish set office hours–When you take on a new client, let them know what time your workday ends. Stick to these hours, because if you begin to communicate outside of them, your clients will expect immediate responses.
Set an end-of workday alarm- Set a daily reminder to start shutting down for the evening and give yourself a 20 to 30-minute window to complete your final tasks. This has been a game-changer for me!
Create an email cut-off time – Stop checking and sending emails by a specific time each day. Acknowledge the items that need immediate attention, set yourself up for the following day, and know that it’s okay to wait to continue in the morning.
Schedule a nighttime activity – Slot a specific time to do something that separates you from your workday. You can do this activity on your own, with friends, or with your family, but this will give you a meaningful reason to take off your work-hat.
Give yourself full permission to stop working. Remind yourself that you need the time to rest and recharge. You will feel better and become more productive in the long run, and you will enjoy life more with the people who matter most to you.
My goal for 2020 is to set a hard work cut-off time, and I hope you will commit to do so too! Instead of saying “just one more,” can you commit to saying “just one less?” One less email, one less phone call, one less scroll through social media. Start with just one thing and FINALLY begin to set bolder boundaries that create more time for you!