It's all about boundaries.

The importance of limits in life, in so many aspects. From family life to coexistence in society. But now the limit we are thinking about is precisely the line that divides work from personal life.

Many times we read comments and publications about "don't take negative things home" "Leave work in its place", where they effectively relate the importance of separating yourself from work activities long enough to enjoy your personal, family and social life; part of what we consider "quality of life".

On the one hand the connection through digital devices, which has been a great technological achievement, has become at the same time an invasion too, because between instant messaging with WhatsApp, Messenger, etc; to mail, Skype and other videoconferencing platforms, this interference is becoming more and more frequent.

And often on our personal smartphone we also load the company accounts "to not load so much".

There are also many companies that give employees "the company cell phone" and that avoids this merger of accounts on your personal device, but very often I hear the now infamous: "That's why the company gave you the cell phone, so you can be reachable at all times".

Another point that hinders this separation is the very fashionable "home-office" that, without underestimating the many advantages that in principle this scheme offers, I can not help thinking that, if we are not careful, this becomes an invasion of my home (my personal space, my "Fortress of Solitude") where there should only be room for my personal life.

So again the term "boundaries" comes to mind.

How can I establish these boundaries?

Do I have to impose them to my boss? (And if I get fired...) Do I stop doing Home-Office? (But it has its advantages that I don't want to lose) Do I quit my job to become an entrepreneur? (But I need the monthly salary).

The answer to all questions is: NO.

The limits should not be imposed to your boss, nor to your company, but to yourself. The main respect is given to yourself, to your work, to your family and friends and to yourself. Find a way to organize your time so that when you leave work, you actually leave work.

One way to do this is: at the end of your work day, before you leave, spend 5 minutes reviewing two things:

1) What you did today. This is super important to do, because when you disconnect from work, you will do it with peace of mind, knowing that you DID do things and that's why you DESERVE the break.

2) What do you have pending for tomorrow? Write them down. This is very important, because when you disconnect from work you will no longer be left with the feeling of "I forgot something" that prevents you from completely separating yourself from work.

With respect to stop doing Home-Office, it is not necessary. As I said there are many advantages of this scheme, however, here the limit is set by choosing ONE place in the house to work, which is always the same and is not related to leisure.

We may think that being at home it is comfortable to work in bed, or on the couch, lying down. However, if we do this we run the risk that when we are resting, maybe watching a movie, unconsciously our mind is still working, because behaviorally we have become accustomed that the couch or the bed are places where we work-rest, this will make that when we work we do not do it productively and when we rest we do not disconnect completely.

So choose a single "working place" at home, which is always the one you use. This way you put a limit to the work inside your home, and even if you don't normally do home office but need to take care of work things at home, it will certainly help to delimit and allow you to enjoy your personal life.

As you can see, boundaries can be your best ally to achieve your full potential at work, and at the same time, enjoy your personal time and space.

Maria del Carmen Martinez. (2020). Todo lo que un buen líder necesita saber sobre poner límites.. 13 abril, de Arancione Sitio web: https://arancione.com.mx/blog/lider-limites

everything a leader needs to know to set boundaries

It's all about boundaries.