Why Boundaries solve your Time Management Dilemma

Have you ever wondered how it is that some people are so good with time management whereas others are always rushing from task to task? If you’re trying to manage your time efficiently but find yourself falling short then it’s time to check your Boundaries.

Many people know the word “boundaries”, but they have no idea what they are. You might think of boundaries as something like a property line or “brick wall” used to keep people out. That can be a bit misleading because it conveys the idea of keeping everyone at arm’s length. However, boundaries are actually connecting points since they provide healthy rules for navigating personal or professional relationships.

Are Boundaries Important?

Boundaries are a way to take care of yourself. It highlights your right to meet your own needs and empowers your emotional well-being and healthy spaces between you and other people.

When you understand how to set and maintain healthy boundaries, you can avoid the feelings of resentment, disappointment, and anger that build up when limits have been pushed. Boundaries are a crucial part of keeping relationships mutually respectful. They help you to look after yourself and those around you.

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According to U.K.-based psychologist Dr. Tara Quinn-Cirillo. “As human beings, we have our own thoughts, memories, and lived experiences, and sometimes that can become very blurred with someone else’s. Boundaries are healthy for helping you identify and keep that space.”

Boundaries can be:

• The beginning and end of a block of time set aside for a particular activity.
• The difference between your needs and another’s needs
• The defining line between different projects or jobs in your life
• The bounds between work and play, activity and rest, inner and outer focused energy

Your boundaries, otherwise known as those internally generated laws that govern what will work for you, and what won’t. 

The Benefits of Boundaries

• Boundaries improve our relationships and self-esteem
• Helps you get clear on who you are, what you want, your values and belief systems
• It brings focus to yourself, mental health, and well-being
• Help you avoid burnout
• Develop independence
• Gain a greater sense of identity
• Allow us to conserve our emotional energy
• Gives us space to grow and be vulnerable

Boundaries: An integral part of Time Management

Think of your boundaries as bodyguards for your time and mental bandwidth. Without boundaries, your time is open for distractions- relevant and irrelevant.

Look for ways to set healthy limits in yourself and your relationships with others. Don’t feel guilty about setting boundaries they’re essentially a form of self-care. Most importantly, strive to keep your promises to yourself. It might take some time and consideration to decipher which boundaries are most important to you and the best ways to implement them, but your mental well-being will appreciate the effort in the long run.

Managing Time

While it’s true no one gets more than 24 hours in a day – we still have power over how productive we are by managing our time.

Managing time is more than just the ability to layout an organized schedule. True, time management means setting priorities that communicate clearly what’s really important, making wise decisions that help set realistic goals, and setting firm boundaries that allow us to keep the promises we make to ourselves and others.

What to do:

• Establish Routines Routines provide reinforcement through repetition and consistency.
• Say no Saying no is as powerful as saying yes
• Be clear about your availability
• Get physical. Create physical boundaries to remind yourself and others that you are unavailable. 
• Be present when you are available.

Fences allow you to protect what’s valuable to you. They also allow you to control who and what enters your space. Our personal boundaries do a similar job. They set the limits that separate us from other people – not necessarily to exclude interaction, but to protect what matters to us, and to control who enters our psychological space, and physical space.

A great follow-up to read: TIRED OF BEING TIME POOR? HERE’S HOW TO SOLVE IT

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