Finding Time by Maintaining Your Time Boundaries-3 Quick Tips

The Time Finder with Paula Eder

The way you use your time is the way you live your life.

Finding Time by Maintaining Your Time Boundaries-3 Quick Tips

Posted on April 22, 2009, under Time Boundaries.

Finding time by setting time boundaries is something that I wrote about yesterday – and have explored here in the past, too. Setting your time boundaries is the first, key step.

The second, equally important, step is maintaining those boundaries. This can be a challenge, whether your boundaries involve you alone, or involve other people. Setting a boundary but not keeping to it erodes trust, ultimately making it that much harder to set and maintain a boundary the next time.

Here are 3 quick tips to help you maintain your boundaries (and your momentum) as you move ahead on your daily tasks and time priorities:

Write down your time priority or task and the related boundary. Suppose your plan is to take 15 minutes between work and dinner time to meditate. When you are planning your day, write this down with your other tasks and priorities. This puts it into the landscape of your day from the outset. Be sure to include the time span and to highlight this activity as requiring a time boundary. Not all of your activities require this, so be clear with yourself.
Be sure to communicate your boundary if there are others who will be affected by it. (This is especially important with children, but is a respectful gesture to anyone affected.) You don’t have to say exactly what you’ll be doing (it’s okay to have boundaries about that, too, if you want). But you can say something like, “I’m going to take 15-minutes for myself after work today. I’ll check in with you after my quiet time.”
When you have followed through with your boundary, be sure to appreciate yourself for maintaining it! Each time you set and follow through on a time boundary you are strengthening your relationship with yourself. Aside from the benefit that your activity conveys, the relationship you are building with yourself is fundamental to your well-being as you move through your life.

A further benefit of setting and maintaining time boundaries is that you model this behavior for those around you. As they begin to see the benefits, they may be moved to try it as well!

Do you use time boundaries to accomplish important tasks or to give yourself a self-nurturing break in the course of your day? I invite you to share a comment here – I’d love to hear how it goes!

What if you could find another hour every day? You can! You are invited to sign up and download The New Finding Time Boundary Template. It’s FREE, and when you sign up you will also receive (if you don’t already) my FREE, weekly Finding Time Tips and my FREE, monthly Award-Winning Finding Time E-zine!

Let’s explore time together …

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There are 3 Responses to “Finding Time by Maintaining Your Time Boundaries-3 Quick Tips”

#1 Alison - 22 April, 8:34 AM

I find all your posts about boundaries to be very encouraging – especially the ones that help me maintain “healthy habits” despite my own tendencies to stray!

With those I live with, I find a visual cue to be helpful – for example, a scarf over a doorknob or even around my neck, to maintain privacy when I need to concentrate. It helps others, so that they don’t have to be wondering exactly when 15 minutes is over, etc.

#2 Paula - 22 April, 7:58 PM

Hi Alison – Thank you for adding your tip about the visual cue. I agree – this is a wonderful and easy way to remind the people around you about your boundary.

I am glad to hear that these posts are encouraging. Here’s to “healthy habits” and top your time success!

Paula

#3 Finding Time with Temporary Time Boundaries | The Time Finder with Paula Eder - 20 May, 6:21 AM

[...] I’ve written about time boundaries and children, I’ve encouraged you to make it clear to children that the boundary won’t be forever, [...]

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