Personal time is vital for everybody, but sometimes we can either overdo it, or feel like we are taking too much time to ourselves. With the right tools and support, you can separate work from personal time while not getting sucked into total procrastination. Here are three tips for setting boundaries for your personal time.
Draw Up a Plan
Just like any kind of project or event, setting up a personal “plan” in terms of what parts of the day are for can help you figure out where you can spend some time on yourself: maybe it’s lunchtime at work, or if you work from home, literally writing down a schedule for breaking up work tasks so you can have time to recharge – whether it’s a small or big chunk of time. Seeing an actual schedule will help you stick to it.
Set Alerts or Alarms for Stop Times
If you don’t have a task-making program like Outlook, setting the alarm on your cell phone or using the trusty alarm clock can help you get a stop time so you aren’t dilly-dallying around. (The Internet can be a particularly nasty monster, because most people end up surfing for hours in what a friend of mine called a “click trance.”) The good thing about alarms is that they’ll break you out of anything mindless you get yourself into so you can get back to focusing!
Ask for Support
If you’re learning how to set boundaries for your personal time, ask your friends and family for advice and support. Ask them how they would set up their personal time, or even ask them to alert you at certain times of the day. I’ve had days where I ask my friends to text me at certain times to check in on me when I’m working on a project or have a long day of tasks in front of me. You never know – maybe they’ll get inspired to set their own personal time boundaries!
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