I used to think people set limits and boundaries simply because they were lazy. 

I know, I know. Nothing could be further from the truth. I get that now. But I used to believe boundaries kept people from working too hard. I wanted to do it all and I believed that I could. Until one day I couldn’t anymore and learned the most valuable lesson in my entire career.

Setting boundaries and knowing my limits didn’t make me lazy, they made me smart. And sane. And happy. And successful. And anything but lazy. 

Setting limits and boundaries are two of the most important things you can do to find success in life and in building a business. I truly believe once you set them and stick to them, you’ll change your entire outlook on life. 

If you’re overwhelmed because you feel like you have to do all the things, knowing your limits will change your life. I know that sounds dramatic but it’s true. If you’re thinking, “ Yeah, but, I like doing all the things” I’m not going to argue with you on that, but I will ask you if you are truly enjoying it. Do you like wearing all the hats and potentially being worn thin because of your need to do it all? If you have a hard time not being in control, you probably also have a hard time knowing your limits. And you may be saying, “I’m a great multitasker.” But I have to tell you, there is no such thing as a great multitasker. You can multitask, sure. But when you’re giving your time and energy to a dozen different things all at once, are you really doing them to the best of your ability? Are they really being done with greatness? If you’re driving your car can you also be doing your makeup, checking your emails, signing your kid’s school forms, having your breakfast, and hopping on a conference call all at the same time? If we were all being honest with ourselves, I’m willing to bet the answer would be no. And that’s okay. You don’t need to be a great multitasker when you learn to set limits for yourself! And just like doing a million things while driving your car is incredibly unsafe, so is doing a million things while building a business and running your life. Setting limits takes away the need to do multiple things all at once. If you limit yourself to only the tasks you can handle in one day, you won’t find yourself trying to do them all at the same time. And that is such a freeing feeling! 

And don’t get me wrong. I know we need to push our limits and get outside of our comfort zones in order to grow but that doesn’t mean we have to push so hard that we aren’t enjoying ourselves anymore. The master chef may want to explore the option of growing their own food and starting a garden, but it doesn’t mean they also have to become a master gardener in order to be good at being a chef. Each skill can enhance the other, but they both are not required to be successful. Understand what is required for your success and stick to that focus. And then maybe throw in a little “gardening” on the side to help expand your horizons! 

 

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Now, I might be in the minority of looking at limits and boundaries as two different things, but I do. Where limits are what you know you’re good at and what you could improve on, boundaries are where you decide what’s important to you and sticking to that. 

I talk about boundaries a lot because they’ve not only saved my business, they’ve actually helped it grow. And so I decided that I needed to start setting boundaries, but in baby steps, because I was still afraid to “let go” of what I thought was control, but later realized was a scarcity mindset.

The truth is, boundaries are hard to set at first, just like with any new habit. But, once you put them in place AND abide by what you’ve set,  they truly will save your business. Seriously. 

Boundaries are one of the easiest things that you can set up in business building, whether you are just starting out or have been doing business for years.

1. Create work hours. Mine are M-F 9:00 am-4:30 pm. My team knows this and on the rare occasion that I need to work outside of those hours, they also know why. When I get a message outside of those working hours, I feel good not worrying about answering it until the next business day and my team doesn’t expect an answer from me either.

2. Set expectations. Once you have set your business hours, let your customers and the people that work with you know them. Be clear on what they look like and ask them to honor both your boundaries and their own.

3. Make good use of your time. You’ve set your hours and told everyone what they are. Now, it’s time to make the best use of your time. Since you know exactly how many hours you have in the day, you can now fill it with the things that are more important and then “close the office door” when it’s quitting time. 

These three simple steps will help you be more productive in life and running a business and allow you to continue to love the work you do. 

This topic has quickly become one of my favorite things to talk about. When people ask me “what is one thing you wish you would have done differently when starting your business?” or “what is something you would tell someone new to business?” I always tell them to set boundaries and know their limits. 

Set boundaries that feel right for you and honor the limits of your talents. It doesn’t make you lazy, It doesn’t make you an absent business owner, it doesn’t make you any of the negative thoughts you’ve ever attached to setting boundaries.

It simply makes you smart, gives you freedom, and allows space for your business to be wildly successful!