Module nine set boundaries. A lack of boundaries can be a major contributor to unhappiness in the workplace. When we do not set boundaries, we may find that our time is not our own. Our plan for our day gets derailed, or we spend too much time dealing with other people's problems. We may also take on too much which can lead to resentments and conflict. Learning to set good boundaries around your work and your time is a key skill to fostering happiness in the workplace.
Strong boundaries can also help alleviate conflicts and other problems which can undermine everyone's happiness. learn to say no, it can be hard to say no, especially to people who we depend on in the workplace. We may feel guilty or we may fear that the person will refuse us the next time we need help. However, learning to say no is one way of protecting your own work time and downtime. While we all sometimes will have to say yes to something that causes upheaval in our day, learning to say no when we really don't want to or are not able to do something is a key skill. When we say yes When we really mean No, we may end up resentful of the task and the other person.
This can lead to passive aggressive interactions or outright conflict, which undermines everyone's well being. Trust that saying no will not convey that you're a bad person, not a team, player or otherwise a poor colleague. learn to say no firmly but kindly and be very clear about what you can and cannot do in any given situation. Learn to say yes, we may be hesitant to say no, but we are sometimes equally hesitant to say yes, we may be afraid to say yes to things that are a stretch of our skill set, or which was a risk. Learning to say yes to things we really want to say yes to is as important as learning to say no, be willing to change your plan to take advantage of a good opportunity. Based on the professional development plan you create, be willing to say yes to projects or experiences which take you out of your safe zone and into your development areas.
When we are willing to say yes whether to a new project or to a little time off. We Also setting good boundaries for ourselves. Saying yes allows us to grow and experience new things, even if we may be a little fearful of the risk of trying something new or unexpected. Protect your downtime. One of the most important boundaries we can set at work is around our downtime. Often we find ourselves working through lunch, answering emails on weekends, staying late to finish one last thing, or going without a break all day.
When we do take a break, we might cut it short to help a co worker or address issues that could have been handled by someone else. This can breed exhaustion, burnout and resentment. Learn to protect your downtime. Start simply, if this is hard for you make yourself Take a full lunch or close your door when you take a five minute break between projects. Let your team members and clients know that you do not check email on the weekend or that you only check a set number of times. Be firm clear and polite about the fact that you are protecting your you time so that you can better serve your clients or colleagues needs No one to call it a day.
In this age of smartphones and tablets even if we leave the office at our regular time, work can follow us home. It's important to know when to call it a day, checking and responding to email late at night or even just after dinner. Extend your workday into your downtime. set a boundary with yourself that you will not check email or voicemail after a certain time. If you can avoid taking work home with you do so. And don't stay late at the office unless it's a true emergency.
When work bleeds into all other aspects of our lives, we can quickly become burned out or overly stressed. While there will always be occasions where work has to intrude on non work time. Making a practice of ending your workday at a regular time can help you avoid overload and burnout.