My dog Mia, a foxhound, is an escape artist! When we first adopted Mia, our fence couldn’t prevent her from leaving our backyard to chase her favorite animal, the CAT. It took reinforcing the fence to prevent her escape.
In life, we also need to reinforce our boundaries to not be lured into the chase that never ends…The Rat Race!
Boundaries are typically set to govern a space. Boundaries define a territory and give ownership to the person who has set that particular set of boundaries.
Looking around our physical earth, we see boundaries in all aspects of our society. Physical, religious, governing, relational, time-bound, emotional, and financial.
Boundaries limit where we can go, but it also gives us freedom. This philosophy has always been confusing to me but didn’t become clear until I had to flip this principle inside out.
To fully grasp freedom in a boundary, is to first understand that boundaries aren’t there to restrict. They are there to protect. Back to my earlier illustration, if my dog, escapes the fence, she is more prone to get hit, stolen, or potentially lost. The same goes for how humans approach our work.
Boundaries are necessary! When it comes to how we work, it’s even more imperative to have boundaries in place to find our true freedom. When we are chasing the luxuries of this world while neglecting where our focus should be, we are breaking the fence line of true fulfillment. Chase God, fulfillment! Chase the world, the chase never ends.
So, as the rat race continues outside the fences, let’s define how to better execute our work within the boundaries of our own homes.
Know Your Laws! Obey Parkinson’s Law – Commit to leaving your office at a specific time and hold yourself accountable. The pressure given to accomplish something in the time given works 99% of the time. Exercise this law by reducing meeting times and meeting frequency. The clutter and wasted time will naturally be cleaned up!
Know Your Schedule! Ruthlessly schedule yourself 2-weeks out and don’t accept any meetings or lengthy side conversations amid a week. Be careful to not get sabotaged by IMs, “Do you have a second” or “Can you meet during lunch tomorrow“. You move the goalpost, it sets precedence.
Know Your Peak! The 9-5 world works for all chronotypes, but everyone has a different level of sharpness and energy throughout the day. If you’re a creator, block that 2-hour window of mental highs at all costs. It’s your time for silence and to be in flow. Be careful not to sabotage your peak times by what you’re eating and drinking which can either send you into a metabolic crash or brain fog.
Know Your Phone! Put your phone in airplane mode when it matters most. This also goes for shutting off your inbox or email alerts in the morning and at night. Technology has evolved to be able to set features to allow you to focus. It takes 23 minutes to get back into flow when distracted or disrupted.
Know Your Squirrels! Chasing the shiny objects and squirrels can happen to the best of us. It’s imperative to know your one activity that must be done in a week or a day and hold on. Be on guard not to self-sabotage by creating a long to-do list that is not achievable. Combat this by using a free scheduling tool similar to Asana where every task has a date assigned.
Know Your Triggers! It may be a person, it may be a social feed, or it may be a project. It may just be your past and unsettled trauma. Whatever is triggering you into negativity, delete it! Deleting people or paid work doesn’t exactly work, but what does work is creating space. If a narcissist or mundane work is getting under your skin, it’s time to create space to evaluate what needs to change, your ultimate purpose in the situation, and an action plan to make the situation better. Before doing any sort of elimination or space plan, start with a reframing exercise. Is there a common ground to grow empathy for the person that triggers you? Is there a deeper purpose of learning or serving for the job that is draining you? Answer these questions before pivoting.
Know Your Doors! An open door is an invitation! If you have your door open at home, it’s an invitation for disruptions. Close your virtual doors as well with the do-not-disturbs when you really have to get something done. If you work from home, go behind closed doors and set up rules of engagement for family members in the house when the door is closed. We have a hanging chalkboard on our doors to alert other family members when we are in do-not-disturb mode.
Boundaries is not a negative word by any means! Creating these boundaries is a way to protect you from the invaders that are out to still your joy, purpose, and freedom!
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