If you're taking time off, fully disconnect to rest and recharge. That email can wait. That call can go to voicemail. Few things are true emergencies.
A leading cause of burnout is the deterioration of boundaries between work time and personal time. We're always-on, always connected - not quite working, not quite resting either. We're disengaged at the conference table, distracted at the dinner table. We stumble through life reactive and restless.
Nobody wants that kind of existence. But so many people in corporate America operate that way. Without clear boundaries, outside pressures will erode your personal time and invade your private spaces. It happens gradually until one day you may find yourself anxious, exhausted, and resentful. You may feel stuck and helpless.
The good news: It's never too late. When you know your priorities, when you set clear boundaries and stick to them, things will change for you - slowly but surely.
See, people treat you the way you allow yourself to be treated.
If you don't respect yourself and honor your needs, neither will others. Not because everyone wants to take advantage of you. But some may have grown accustomed to your willingness, your helpfulness, perhaps your inability to say no. Don't let them get comfortable.
Instead, show them how to engage with you - especially on your personal time. Be available, but not too available. Understand why you would accept or refuse a request. Know what you would or wouldn't do.
If you're not ready to fully disconnect, that's okay. Take small steps as needed. Author and workplace coach Shola Richards advises: "Commit to checking your email only during designated times, instead of responding to your alert tones like one of Pavlov's dogs."
Sometimes strong imagery is needed to jolt the senses out of complacency. Don't react to a ringing bell. Approach life with intentionality - and make it known. Be fully present at work, fully present at home.
Healthy boundaries don't hem you in or close you off. They make space for what truly matters.