Set limits with alarms
People won’t hesitate to ask you out if you’re willing to work outside of normal hours. It’s up to you to say no and set healthy boundaries. That’s where your cell phone alarms come in.
Sometimes the hustle and bustle of work makes us lose sight of these boundaries. We answer emails as soon as we get out of bed or feel compelled to answer a question at the dinner table.
Take the time to establish what you accept and what you don’t accept at work. Talk to your colleagues; your family, too, who will remind you of your commitments. Set an alarm on your phone to mark the beginning and end of the day. So, if necessary, set one to remind you to talk to your boss about work-life balance.
Another tip: include your availability in your email signature and in the status message of your business communication apps. Clearly indicate your hours, typical response time, and what to do in case of emergency.
Schedule your outgoing messages
Follow your own rules. If you don’t want messages after hours, don’t send them to your coworkers. Whether it’s Slack, Teams, email, or text, schedule your messages to be sent at a reasonable time: after 9 a.m. and not after 4 p.m. (if you work 9 to 5). That way, all your work-related communication happens during work hours.
Reduce your notifications
You’ve made your preferences known; now use technology to enforce them. Change the notification settings on your work apps: no bells during dinner or when you’re playing with your kids.
Outlook lets you set your schedule, day by day. This lets others know when you are and aren’t at work. Apps like Slack also let you schedule times when you want to receive (or mute) notifications. Your phone lets you adjust notifications for each app, so you might get news alerts from your favorite newspaper but nothing from work.
And if you want total silence, just turn on focus mode or “Do not disturb”. Are you compulsive with your work applications? Limit your screen time.
Plan for buffer periods
If you want to preserve that precious 30 minutes you take to eat dinner or avoid being squeezed into a meeting at the same time you’re dropping the kids off at school, put an event on your calendar. That way, if someone tries to schedule a meeting, they’ll see that you’re not available. You can do the same thing if you need time for a task that requires some quiet time.
In case of emergency
It’s okay to unplug at the end of the day, but plan a way to be reached at all times by close colleagues (and your boss). Your personal number allows for calls and texts, and there’s also Signal or other such apps beyond Slack and office email. Settings allow you to designate who can reach you even when you’re in focus or “do not disturb” mode.
Be explicit about this: these methods are for emergencies, not for what can wait until tomorrow morning after your coffee.
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