Boundary Check
Photo: Rhonda K, folk artist / Unsplash
Work-life balance. A call to action for when work creeps into life.
Right now, I’m trying to keep my life out of my work. Life is looming large.
We have two weeks to find an apartment and move from a 3 bedroom house. And I’m working in this house.
Pricing moving companies. Digging up financial application for the tenant screening.
Two shelves of hardcover cookbooks? Give-away. No time now. In they go.
Four shelves of photography books? Keep.
I’m not good at this.
Emotion. Anxiety. Memories of other moves.
External and internal boundaries
Thinking of your world (including you) as a cell with a semi-permeable membrane, What can come in? What needs to flow out?
Work
Starting with that anxiety. I know that keeping order in my work life will calm that overwhelm feeling.
Environment: Saving my office for last. No problem.
Routine: Work continues. Keeping all appointments. Ok.
Move administration — Only over lunch. Hard to keep this boundary. Meh.
Relationships
Morale support. Letting my work team know I’m moving. Sharing that fact with coaching clients. Receiving knowing expressions. Extra space.
Pushing back on doing everything myself. Meh. More anxiety.
Vulnerability — writing this post. I am known, I am seen.
Body
At least a walk a day. Ok.
An extra beer in the evening. Meh.
How about you?
What parallels to my story are you noticing in your work and life?
Maybe you’re working late. Checking email outside work hours. Having trouble sleeping because you’re thinking about work.
What boundaries can you identify for yourself?