Hey friends! Welcome to the first Teeny Tip Tuesday post.

Okay, this is something I came up with very much on the spot because I thought it would be fun to come up with a series for my educational content, but I also wanted to make it very clear that while I love to offer tips here and there and share things I have learned along the way, I will not be releasing long, in depth articles on a regular basis. That is, here on the blog I like to keep it short and sweet mostly. 🙂

In this series especially I’m going to be focused on sharing to-the-point, bite-sized, hopefully-helpful, thoughts on managing a business, working from home, photo editing, outsourcing, and travel.

And who knows? A few more topics might get thrown in there as well, haha.

Anyways, today let’s talk about boundaries. We hear a lot about them these days and so many people talk about how essential they are when running your own business. Well, for good reason!

Creating good habits centered around your boundaries can be a challenge, but this is the first step in work/life balance and can be the key to avoiding burn-out, unnecessary stress and even tension in relationships.

So first off, quick refresher and just so we’re on the same page, what is a boundary?

bound·a·ry

/ˈbound(ə)rē/

noun

plural noun: boundaries

a line that marks the limits of an area; a dividing line.

You draw the lines around your business. Basically, you tell your business where it goes in your life.

There are so many aspects to this, but today I’m going to quickly break down the ways that I currently have boundaries established in my own business so you can see this in action.

• I set office hours – for my clients and for myself.

I put my 9-5 hours in my email signature and schedule any emails I send outside of those hours. Then I decided on a definite time when I’m actually done working in the evenings and (try to) stick to that. Often times trying to work while “Netflix and chill” in the evenings is just not a good idea. The work can get sloppy/inefficient and I’m not actually giving myself rest.

• I set a aside a weekly sabbath from business.

This one is actually kind of challenging for me at times. I have always taken a taken one day a week as a weekly sabbath from all work, but for my business it goes further than that. I turn off my computer. I put away my business books. I don’t talk about business stuff. I try to stay off my business account on Instagram. (But sometimes I have to delete the app to help that happen.)

Basically, I take a break from the work of thinking and planning in my business or even looking at it, haha. This can be harder than it sounds. Especially if I’m on a roll the day before and the momentum is there it’s so hard to set it aside for a whole day. But it is always a wise idea to have a consistent sabbath and I know many other business owners that swear by this boundary as well. (Sean Wes is a huge advocate and someone I know that teaches this habit.)

In the end, sticking to your boundaries and communicating them to those around you is really when change happens. And don’t be afraid to switch them up and customize them to your needs if they don’t work for you at first! This is first and foremost for the good of you and your family!

Okay, that’s all for now! I look forward to adding more specific boundaries as my business grows and life changes. Until next time…