Set Boundaries, Find Peace: A Guide to Reclaiming Yourself

by Nedra Glover Tawwab

How to Set Boundaries Away from the Office Use all your allotted vacation days. According to the U.S. Travel Association, in 2018, American workers failed to use 768 million days of paid time off—a 9 percent increase from 2017. Don’t check work emails on the weekend. Don’t go into the office to catch up on the weekend. Don’t work while on vacation unless it’s an emergency. Plan for coverage, and delegate all you can while you’re away. Find hobbies and activities that have nothing to do with work. If your job is stressful, limit the way you talk about it with others, unless it’s your therapist. Ruminating about all the things you hate will not improve your feelings. Don’t offer your professional services for free to friends and family. If you’re an accountant, for example, refer your friends and family to another accountant. Set an out-of-office email and voicemail response when you’re on vacation. Direct the caller to another person to reduce the number of issues you’ll have to address when you return. Delegate tasks that someone else can do. CEOs should never answer their own phones. Doctors shouldn’t prepare their operating rooms for surgeries. Prioritize tasks in order of urgency and deadline. Everything at work doesn’t merit the same level of importance. Minimize distractions such as chatting with coworkers if it throws you off course. Ask for assistance when you need it. Inform your employer when your workload is too heavy.