Four Ways to Draw Boundaries at Work

Work is an unavoidable part of everyone’s life. It is often the part of everyone’s life that takes up the most time and a person can easily work more hours than they need to. This can put a great strain on their relationships and can even become an idol if they are not more careful.

People who want a healthy life and to strike a good work-life balance must draw good boundaries regarding their work. Boundaries are especially crucial when it comes to people who work from home.

It is easy for someone to pick up a laptop and work a few hours while watching TV or enjoying another activity. This extra work can easily put additional strain on relationships as well as a person’s physical, emotional, and mental state. Boundaries are essential for allowing work to have meaning and purpose in life, and maintaining its proper priority. Here are four ways to draw boundaries at work:

Keep a set schedule

While some people have a strict 9:00 to 5:00 schedule, some work from home or have flexibility regarding their hours. This flexibility can be good because it allows someone to enjoy activities outside of work separate from the regular nine-to-five time slot.

Still, it can also mean work during weekends and other designated time off. Assess what times work best. At what time during the day are you most productive? Are you a night owl? Are you an early bird?

Capitalize on the time when you’re most productive. For example, if you are an early bird, try getting up and getting to work by seven or eight rather than nine. This schedule change will allow you to leave work at 3:00 or 4:00 PM, giving you more time to get activities done around your home or enjoy more time with friends and family.

If your work differs from a set schedule, take frequent breaks in between and keep your schedule as consistent as possible. You start work at seven, so try to work no longer than 8 hours or until 3:00 PM if possible. Although there may be extenuating circumstances where you may have to work past the 3:00 time slot, make sure you take more time off throughout the week to make up for the extra time you worked.

It is easy to forget to count hours when answering emails or phone calls or catching up on administrative tasks in addition to your regular work responsibilities. Keep track of your hours and work only what is necessary.

Don’t miss events

With the availability of technology, a person can easily work outside of their set schedules. If the person becomes a workaholic, it is easy for them to lose their work-life balance. For example, a workaholic may miss their children’s sports events or other club activities with which a parent would normally be present. Although it may seem like no big deal in the short- term, it is a big deal to your child.

Your child may not tell you, but it will be hurtful to them to look out into the audience and not see their mother or father present. It will make them feel you don’t care, and that your work is more important to you than they are.

Additionally, these are times you will never get back. Although it may not be as enjoyable for you to sit through your child’s choral concert, it will mean the world to your child, and it is the time when you will bask in the glory of watching your child on the stage singing happily along with their friends.

When you look back on your life, it will not matter how much money you have in your bank account or how much work you do, but what will matter most is how much time you spend with your family.

Take time for relationships

In addition to relationships with your children, working extra hard may wreak havoc on your marriage. Your spouse wants time with you as well. Even if it’s just an hour a day to discuss how your day went or to share an activity, your marriage needs to be the priority. Make time to enjoy fun activities and hobbies with your spouse.

It is easy for someone to assume that they’re working long hours to provide for their family and that it makes their family happy. But in the long run, they will miss you and would rather have you around. Don’t get caught in the trap of possessions. Chasing after possessions will make you feel important in the short term, but you will come to despise those possessions if they cost you your marriage.

There will always be time to work extra hours when the kids are gone, or later in your marriage. However, in the years when you’re working, take time to be with your loved ones. A big bank account isn’t helpful when you walk into an empty house without children or spouses.

Not only do you need to connect in a relationship, it is also essential for you to communicate with God. Christians can easily fall into the trap of workaholism just as much as any unbeliever. God always kept his work relationship in check. God demonstrates the excellent model in Genesis when he works for six days and then rests. You need to find a balance between work and rest, as well. Spend prolonged periods with God, and you’ll always set your priorities straight.

Remember the Sabbath

God ordained the Sabbath rest as an essential part of the work week when he gave Moses the Ten Commandments. Sabbath is an integral part of work; it allows you to recharge your mind and body and be more productive for the following week. It does not honor God when we walk into our work week tired and overextended from a long weekend of activities.

It is even worse when you have worked the weekend and have not allowed time to rest. Do what you can to refrain from work on the Lord’s Day. Do mundane chores only if necessary, then take the time to enjoy activities that charge your body, awaken your senses, and allow you time to spend with your loved ones.

No one is so important that they can’t unplug from their emails or screens for twenty-four hours. Not only is it important to get physical rest on the Sabbath, but mental, emotional, and media rest is also essential. Unplug from screens, and you’ll find you have more time than you know what to do with. Take up a new hobby, travel with your family, or spend time with the people who matter most.

You only get one life. COVID taught the world that we may be unable to spend time with our families at any time. Prioritize your time wisely. Work can have significant meaning and purpose, but it does not fulfill all of your emotional needs. Relationships and family will be what matters in the end.

Work was designed to give us a purpose in this life, make a difference in the world, and impact the next generation. No matter what you do for work, try to observe as much rest as possible. If you have difficulty resting, remember that even God rested from His work.

Draw good boundaries at work by keeping a schedule, not working too hard, using the Sabbath for essential rest, and not missing out on events with loved ones. When you choose to observe these principles, not only will your work be more productive, but you will also be able to live a life that honors God and makes time for the things that matter most.

Is setting boundaries between work and family difficult for you? A Christian counselor can help you learn to set appropriate boundaries and reset your priorities. Call our office to schedule an appointment today.