Have you ever been on vacation and found yourself opening your work email to “check in?” Do you feel guilty when you consider taking a day off? Are you skipping lunch in the name of productivity?
These small habits can have a huge impact on our mental and physical health, and yet we often fall into the trap of normalizing them for the sake of career growth.
As a young professional, I have learned how tricky it can be to balance the desire to prove myself with the need for personal time outside of work. More importantly, I have learned the importance of setting boundaries early and how they protect both my well-being and my work.
Why Boundaries Are Hard (And Why We Need Them Anyway)
If setting boundaries feels uncomfortable, you are not alone. For young professionals especially, there are real reasons it can be challenging:
- We want to prove ourselves, and saying yes to everything can feel like the fastest route to being trusted and promoted.
- We’re still learning what is reasonable for us to take on and whether the stress we feel is typical or something we’re placing on ourselves.
- The lines are blurred by modern technology and flexible or remote schedules, which allow work to follow us everywhere unless we decide where it stops.
The Three Types of Boundaries
Boundaries are not a barrier to success, but instead they are what make success sustainable. Clear boundaries help us do our best, communicate expectations honestly, and maintain the energy we need for the long run. Setting boundaries is not a lack of commitment, but rather a professional skill that is important to build early. There are three types of boundaries to consider:
- Scope boundaries are set in place by a job description. When your workload feels like it is too much, compare it to your job description. How does it align? Are there changes that would make your work more manageable? If you find that your duties do not align with your job description, have a conversation with your supervisor. Your job description may need to be adjusted, or your workload may need to be adjusted, but either way you do not need to carry the weight of this imbalance on your own.
- Time boundaries protect when you work and when you rest and give each client, project, and task its proper place in your schedule. Your time boundaries can fluctuate based on the time of year, busy seasons at work, and what is going on in your personal life. The important part is communicating with your team and holding yourself accountable to the boundaries you put in place.
- Emotional boundaries can be breached when we start taking responsibility for others’ feelings and emotions. It is important to care deeply for our clients, but we must not carry everything alone. We can listen to the feelings of our members, clients, and volunteers without letting their emotions and responses define our self-worth and values. After each hard conversation, step away from your workspace and remind yourself that you are only responsible for doing what is defined within your role, and not for making everyone happy all the time.
Together, these boundaries help create balance. While balance does not mean that every day is perfect, it is important that we develop ways to disconnect, reenergize, and find passion throughout our days. Especially as young professionals, it is natural to put extra pressure on ourselves to perform well. A mentor once told me, “Your career is a marathon, not a sprint.” We can prove ourselves more by being consistently reliable, rather than constantly overworking.
New to Boundary Setting? Start Small
To get started, I encourage you to pick one easy place where you can set a healthy boundary. Turn off your notifications, take a day of PTO with no agenda, or read that novel you’ve been meaning to get to. You will be surprised at the difference it can make in your life and your overall satisfaction.
Kaylee Ferguson
Kaylee Ferguson joined RGI in 2023 as a Meetings and Membership Coordinator, drawing on her background in event planning and management. Today, her role as a Membership Manager allows her to leverage her expertise in member relations and retention to help our clients manage robust membership bases and attract new generations of members.
Outside of work, Kaylee serves as a varsity cheerleading coach in her hometown of Brownsburg, IN. She is also an active leader of her church’s young adult ministry, and is a passionate advocate for Alzheimer’s disease research, supporting individuals living with the disease and their caregivers.