Boundaries at Work: The Ultimate Guide for Working Moms in 2023

Mom’s Struggle is Real. It is Time to Change Things Up!

Hi there, busy working moms. Do you desire to find a work-life balance? No one told me that being a mom means you hardly have time for yourself. And no one told me that being a working mom is a juggling, consistent balancing act between career and family. So, I fully understand that being a working mom is challenging and no easy feat. The good news is that there is a way to change this. Rather than disconnecting yourself and isolating silently,  setting practical boundaries can be a solution to keep your work-life balance. Intrigued? Let’s dive in!

What Are Boundaries At Work?

Boundaries are the guidelines and rules implemented to set clear lines between yourself and others. 

Boundaries at work mean you, as an employee in a professional environment, establish clear lines for others to protect yourself from the workplace. According to psychologist Esther Perel, boundaries refer to connection and separateness. It means the boundaries will help you create a healthy relationship with others by providing clear guidelines. It rules and separates you from the workplace to protect your mentality. Also, it means to help keep up with maintaining the work-life balance.

What Are The 5 Types of Boundaries?

Nicole LePera, Ph.D., known by her Instagram account “The Holistic Psychologist,” shared on her Instagram account the comprehensive drawing of the five types of boundaries: emotional, material, time/energy, physical, and mental. Here is her picture shared on Instagram:

The emotional boundary is setting barriers from inappropriate, negative emotional influences. The mental boundary is maintaining your thoughts uninfluenced by others to keep freedom of thought. The physical boundary is keeping a precise distance from others who make you feel uncomfortable by not creating enough spaces in between. The time/energy boundary and material boundary are simply that you are making a guideline to preserve your time, energy, and materials.

Why Should Working Moms Set Up Boundaries At Work?

Setting boundaries at work establishes professional and healthy practices for yourself.

Setting boundaries at work means establishing professional and healthy practices for yourself. Think about it. You spend a lot of time at work with your colleagues, approximately 8 hours daily and 4 to 5 days weekly. One of my friends joked that she sees and spends more time with her colleagues than her husband. It is a joke, but sometimes it is really what is happening. It is nice to have friendly colleagues around, who you can open up yourself and be cozy with. But the work environment is also professional, and I expect you to act professionally. So, when it comes to making friends at work who you work with the most and are emotionally involved with, it can blur your judgments and affect your professional performance. 

Setting boundaries at work is essential self-care for you.

Moreover, working moms have too much on their plate; you don’t want to be involved in any dramas at work, nor do you have time for that. Keeping clear boundaries at work will help you keep work and life balance. It is also related to your wellness, as I discussed in my article regarding the ultimate self-care guides for working moms (click here to read more about it!).

3 Tips for Working Moms on How To Set Boundaries At Work

1. Clear Communication

When you set boundaries at work, communicating this to others straightforwardly is vital in keeping the boundaries working for you. You need to let your manager know, as well as your colleagues, what works for you and what doesn’t. Especially when you have duties at home related to your children or your household, it is essential that you openly communicate about them. People are different; not everybody is a working mom, meaning they wouldn’t know what you are going through. So, clearly communicating your situation and boundaries will help them understand what to expect from you. In addition, it helps build an accountable culture from which your working environment can benefit.

2. Time Off Prioritization and Self-Care

As a working mom, prioritizing my time put me into an unease. When you consider using a legally allowed holiday from your work, you may need to save this day for an urgent matter that you must take care of later or for a family vacation. Indeed, the guilt is always tagged along with the idea of taking my time for myself, naturally making me hesitate.

However, you must realize that a mom’s mental health and self-care are crucial to keeping the household healthy and happy. It is because mom’s influence in the house is more significant than anyone else. Also, taking your time off and making it a prioritized task will benefit your productivity and prevent you from burnout. So, use the paid time off for yourself. It is the time you can do something for yourself and take a break; you are supposed to be at work and not expected to do something at home. Accordingly, the paid day off is your time to enjoy and care for yourself. Also, it is known that this unusual break allows you to break your routine helps you to experience as if you are free. It also reduces your stress level. 

3. Clear Work-Life Boundaries Establishment

When you set the boundaries at work, you need to make sure that you are focusing on your work-life balance. With the pandemic, the great benefit was working from home. It saves commuting time, and you can get more things done, regardless of whether it is related to your work. The freedom of not having to commute and being stuck in traffic hours per day helps working moms find some time for themselves.

However, the downside of remote working situations is that it is hard to distinguish between professional and personal life boundaries. You can work from 7 am until 1 am. No one stops you. You can eat and work, no breaks, just do the work all day. And while you are dragged into your work, before you know your time for being a full-time mom comes around, you need to switch to caring for the family. Yes, if you have some work that you need to finish up when the nighttime arrives and the family members sleep, you would turn on your laptop again. You see, losing the balance between work and life is so easy.

Therefore, you must set clear boundaries between work and life. Ensure limiting availabilities outside of working hours should be clear to your company and colleagues. It will manage the expectations of your team and keep you away from the work laptop when the working hour is off.

Final Thoughts on Setting Boundaries At Work

We are working moms. As a working mom, I understand that it is tough to prioritize yourself first. However, as we discovered, prioritizing yourself and setting boundaries at work to protect yourself are crucial for your mental health and career. By setting boundaries at work, you will undoubtedly experience that it helps you excel in your career. Also, it allows you to fully and completely embrace and enjoy your personal life. I hope the three main tips for setting boundaries at work inspire you and ultimately empower you to thrive at work and home and find the work-life balance you desire. (if you want to learn about work-life balance, click here to read more!).

If you are on this journey, can you share your experience?

If you are on this journey to setting workplace boundaries, share your experiences and real-time tips. Looking forward to hearing from you, as sharing is caring!