Getting more comfortable with setting some time boundaries for yourself starts with small steps, as I wrote previously.
How are you doing with that?
Ready to try something more?
Setting a boundary when you need a longer span can test your boundary-setting skills.
Remember, as with any new skill, you’re engaging in a process. With each step that you take, you’ll learn something new. This includes learning from missteps and mistakes.
Being steady and gentle with yourself helps you keep moving forward.
Getting more comfortable — another step:
Suppose you have a certain routine that gives you an energetic start to your day. Your routine includes:
- Getting up;
- Exercising and/or meditating;
- Taking a shower;
- Dressing;
- Making and eating breakfast; and
- Leaving the house in time to get to work (or do whatever you have planned for the day).
That’s a great routine, and it takes a good chunk of morning time to move through it.
If you live alone, your challenge is different (and probably simpler) than if you live with others. Many of us need to ask for cooperation from others (spouse, children, friends, etc.) in order to accomplish this routine each day.
What’s a good way to do that?
I strongly suggest that you begin with an “I message.” Explain how important the routine is to you. Maybe even share some of the benefits you feel from it.
Next, request help by asking that you not be interrupted. Framing it this way allows people to feel helpful and supportive, rather than left out.
The devil is in the details, however. No interruptions means no last minute requests for information, lunch, construction paper, lost socks — you get the picture.
The hard part about getting more comfortable…
When disruptions occur, and you can rest assured that they will, you need to quietly and consistently remind the other person of your established boundary.
Again, the more you practice, the easier it will get.
How will you try this, starting today? Keep track of what happens and use that information to help you the next time. It will get easier.
Want more help now?
Time is pure potential. You decide how to use it; and once you do, it’s gone. That’s why it’s so important to build on your best time choices. If you feel like your time slips through your fingers, then you’ll want to claim your copy of my complimentary “Daily Choices Template: Proven Strategies for Tracking Your Best Time Choices Today, Tomorrow & All Year!” There’s no time like the present – to start moving toward the future you envision for yourself.
Speak Your Mind