10 Time-Saving Boundaries You Need to Set Today for a More Productive Tomorrow
It can be easy to lose control of your time.
Between back-to-back meetings, non-stop notifications, and ever-growing to-do lists, you might find your day slipping away with little to show for it.
Setting boundaries is the key to protecting your time and reclaiming control.
Here are the ten boundaries you need to excel at work and still have time left over to enjoy your life.
Time-Saving Boundary #1: Define Your Working Hours—and Stick to Them
The first and most critical boundary is setting clear working hours.
You will fill up the time you give yourself for work (see the Parkinson’s law phenomenon).
So, when you start your day assuming you can call it quits only when everything is done, with no clear deadline, you’ll guarantee you work late into the evening.
If you work from home, it’s even more essential to set a start and end time, as work can easily bleed into personal time.
Instead, plan the events and tasks of your work day with a clear end time in mind. Then push yourself to stick to it. Commit to not checking emails or logging on outside your chosen working hours.
This boundary helps ensure that work doesn’t intrude into evenings, weekends, or other times that should be dedicated to relaxation, hobbies, or whatever other areas bring you joy in your life.
Time-Saving Boundary #2: Limit Your Availability for Checking Emails and IMs
Constant interruptions from email notifications and instant messaging disrupt your focus and add to your stress.
The average worker is interrupted every 11 minutes. Which means if your aren’t intentionally setting boundaries around your focus, you could be spending 33% of the day recovering from interruptions. That’s 2 to 3 hours per day. 2 to 3 hours…
No wonder you’re working late to catch up…
Instead of allowing these constant interruptions, set a boundary for how often and when you’ll check emails and IMs. For example: commit to checking emails only 2-3 times per day and IMs once per hour.
The rest of your day should be notifications off, focused time.
This boundary allows you to focus on deep, uninterrupted work. This is where the most significant progress on your to-do list happens.
Time-Saving Boundary #3: Establish a Protected Time for Deep Work
Speaking of focus…this is the main ingredient needed for your most fulfilling deep work.
Deep work is for those tasks that require full concentration and creativity. This is where the magic happens to direct your time in a way that has the biggest impact.
Jumping from meeting to notification to busy work stops deep work in its tracks.
Instead, set a boundary on your calendar for dedicated deep work. Block off the time so no one schedules over it (I recommend a “Private” calendar invite or a title that sounds super important because…it is.)
Ideally, aim for at least one hour per day, but remember, some focus time is better than none. If you can’t make it happen every day, aim for a couple of times per week.
Turn off notifications, ignore emails, and let your team know you’re unavailable.
This boundary allows you to dive deeply into important tasks without distractions, helping you complete work faster and with higher quality.
Time-Saving Boundary #4: Take Breaks
Taking breaks makes you more productive.
Gritting your teeth to push through just one more task, scarfing down lunch in front of your screen, or feeling too guilty to even stand up and simply stretch your legs makes the day feel long. It causes your work quality to suffer and increases the stress and dread you feel towards your work.
Instead, schedule time on your calendar for clearly defined intentional breaks. Then schedule everything else in your day around them.
During this time, step away from your workspace. Better yet, go outside and enjoy a little fresh air and nature.
If a leisurely 1-hour lunch break isn’t something you can commit to, start small. Take a 5-minute break between meetings. Practice flexing that break muscle so it starts to feel less like a foreign part of the day.
This boundary helps you reset your focus and energy. You’ll feel less stressed and you’ll be impressed by how much more you actually accomplish between those well deserved breaks.
Time-Saving Boundary #5: Guard Your Off-Hours
It’s tempting to be available for work even after hours.
You want to be seen as reliable, the rockstar, the team player who always saves the day.
But constantly being “on” can rob you of personal time, leaving you burned out and drained.
Instead, set a firm boundary around your personal time by avoiding email or work-related calls outside of work hours. Even a quick check of your email or IMs can steal your focus away from the moment and pull you back into work-related stressors.
This boundary draws a line between your work and personal time so you can protect your evenings and weekends for family, friends, hobbies, and relaxation. All the pieces that create a life you’re excited about.
Time-Saving Boundary #6: Don’t Overcommit Your Personal Time
Just as it’s important to have boundaries at work, you need them at home too.
While supporting family and friends can be a priority, overcommitting yourself to their needs can lead to stress and a loss of feeling in control.
You may want to RSVP ‘yes’ for every party and activity that comes your way so you never disappoint or feel that dreaded FOMO. But you will quickly lose sight of where YOU want your time to go as you ping pong between the requests of others.
Instead, be selective with commitments, and don’t feel guilty about declining invitations or requests that interfere with your priorities.
Respecting your own time means sometimes saying ‘no’ to even the people closest to you.
This boundary will allow you to show up to the world as your best self so when you are there supporting and celebrating with the ones you love, they’ll get the best version of you.
Time-Saving Boundary #7: Prioritize Time for Self-Care and Personal Goals
Your time is your most valuable resource, and it’s essential to invest some of it back into yourself.
Yet we often just rely on the leftover scraps of the day to try to fit in some “me time”.
We prioritize the needs of others over ourselves and feel too guilty to make the time for our biggest dreams and wants.
Instead, when creating your plan for the week, schedule time for self-care (the things that recharge you) and personal goals first. This could be time for exercise, reading, pursuing a hobby or side hustle, or simply relaxing.
Protect this time as you would a work meeting. Schedule it in your calendar, and decline other intrusions.
This boundary helps you create a solid foundation for handling other responsibilities with greater energy and focus while enabling yourself to continue to grow and evolve.
Time-Saving Boundary #8: Don’t Volunteer for Every Project
Saying ‘yes’ can feel so good in the moment.
You know you’ll make the requestor happy, avoiding any dreaded disappointment. You may even have a burst of excitement to show off your skills and commitment.
But too many ‘yeses’ can often result in unexpected ‘nos’. Committing to that extra project at work means you can’t take the long weekend getaway you promised your spouse. Committing to helping your neighbor move means you’ll feel too exhausted to redecorate your office based on your latest Pinterest inspiration.
Instead, don’t default to ‘yes’ whenever a new project arises. Ask for a minute to think about it. Take that time to assess whether it aligns with your personal and career goals and whether you have the time to commit without compromising other priorities.
This boundary will ensure the projects you really care about are the ones that get your time.
Time-Saving Boundary #9: Say ‘No’ to Unnecessary Meetings
Meetings can be one of the biggest time sucks of corporate life.
Even worse, it’s easy to let the meetings on your calendar dictate the direction of your day. You jump from meeting to meeting, without much question or thought into whether they align with what you want to accomplish for the week.
As a recovering people-pleaser, I know all too well that declining a meeting can be uncomfortable…but, it’s an essential boundary to protect your time.
Instead of accepting every invite that comes your way, take a pause. Review the attendees and topic. Then ask yourself if the meeting aligns with your priorities or if it could be handled by email or a quick chat. Politely decline meetings that don’t add value.
This boundary will help you free up the extra hours in the day you’ve been wishing for.
Time-Saving Boundary #10: Delegate Tasks That Others Can Handle
This is likely the hardest boundary of all for my fellow perfectionists.
You assume you are the best one to handle any and every task. Someone else will just mess it up or you think passing it off means you’re failing in some way. So you keep your plate full and continue to struggle to get it all done.
Done is better than perfect.
Done means you have time to devote to something else.
Done means you get to give your next ‘hell yes’ to something that’s been lingering on your to-do list for too long.
Instead of trying to do it all, identify tasks that others can handle, whether at work or at home, and let go of the need to control everything. This might mean hiring someone to help with household tasks, delegating more to your colleagues, asking family members for support, or even deciding something just isn’t going to get done, and that’s okay.
This boundary can be the ultimate hack to take control of your time, allowing you to focuson the things that will truly benefit from your passions and gifts.
So What?
Setting boundaries is uncomfortable.
Especially in a corporate culture where being constantly available is often seen as a mark of dedication.
But feeling in control of your time is critical for long-term productivity, health, and happiness.
Each of these boundaries requires practice, but the benefits are so worth it. Setting clear limits and sticking to them can prevent burnout, stress, and the overwhelm that’s been hanging over you like a dark cloud.
Start small by choosing one or two boundaries to implement today. As you begin to see the positive impact on your work and personal life, you’ll feel more empowered to expand these boundaries, protecting more of your time for what matters most to you. Taking control of your time isn’t just about working less, it’s about living more, with purpose and intention.
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About Me
Hi, I’m Kara. I’m a former workaholic turned time-management expert. I help women stressed out in their 9-5 get more done, in less time, so they can get back in the driver’s seat and start living a life they love.
