2 Ways To Set Healthy Boundaries At Work

For some people, “Mondays” are the worst day of the week.

You may be one of them.

But for me, Mondays are one of my favorites.

The previous week is over, and it’s time for a brand-new start.

I feel refreshed, energized, and ready to accomplish all the tasks ahead of me.

Being a lead pastor, these tasks include preparing for next Sunday’s sermon, studying for the Bible study I lead, making follow-up calls to new guests and people I haven’t seen in a while, and leading meetings to name a few.

(For you, these tasks could be completely different depending on your ministry.)

But I have to admit, “Mondays” weren’t always that great.

If I’m being honest, they used to be filled with frustration and stress.

Let me explain …

In the past I would sit down at my desk, with coffee in hand, ready to start working on the best week ever until something would start to happen:

1. A staff member would stop by my office to ask a question …
2. My assistant would tell me someone was on the phone asking for me …
3. A member of our church would decide to stop by unannounced to chat …
4. And … you get the point.

Before I knew it, I’d be packing up to leave for the day … feeling like I’d got nothing accomplished.

It seemed everyone needed something from me the whole day.

As I write this, I can imagine many of you are nodding your heads in agreement.

But I can also hear you asking, “But, how can we change it? That’s just ministry, right?”

Great question …

How do we set up healthy boundaries at work, so we can accomplish what God has called us to do; without others feeling like we don’t have time for them?

Is it even possible?

I’m here to tell you “IT IS”!

Here are 2 ways I’ve found helpful to set healthy boundaries at work and to gain back my sanity:

1.  Set Up Your “Focus Time”

The first thing that helped me was to schedule “focused time” for my most important tasks.

For me, this is studying and writing. 

For you, it could be anything that you need “uninterrupted deep focus” to get done.

After putting this “focus time” on my schedule from nine until noon, I asked my staff to not interrupt me during it, and for my assistant to hold my calls unless it was an emergency. 

I also politely explained to my church the importance of their pastor diving deep into God’s word with undivided attention.

I was amazed at how people respected my request.

All they needed was for me to “ASK”.

No one knew I was struggling with this until I spoke up.

It helped set up a healthy “visible” boundary for everyone around me to see.

Now, by noon each day, I have my most important tasks done so I can be free to help others with what they need.

This one tip has helped me to be a better studier of God’s word, a better speaker, and a better pastor to my people.

2.  Learn To Be Proactive Instead Of Reactive

Secondly, I had to learn to stop being reactive.

Let me explain …

In the past:

1. If someone called my cell, I would drop everything to talk.
2. If someone wanted to schedule a time to meet up; why not do it today?
3. If a staff member had a question that couldn’t wait (which 99% of the time it can), I would stop what I was doing to give them my full attention.

We’ve all been there …

That place where it seems like everyone else is controlling our calendar instead of us.

Don’t get me wrong, all these people need our attention as God has called us to serve them; but do they need our full attention RIGHT NOW?

I would argue, no.

What helped me was to become “proactive” instead of “reactive”:

1. If someone calls me and I’m not available, I’ll let it go to voicemail until I’m at a better place to talk.
2. If someone needs to meet with me, I look at my calendar and schedule them to come in on another day.
3. If a staff member needs my attention, most of the time I can refer them to our weekly staff meeting to discuss it.

What amazed me when I started doing this was how these same people didn’t mind the wait.

They already knew I was busy and respected my time because I had already set up a healthy boundary for them to see from the previous point.

This helped me to free up multiple hours in the week to focus on more important things.

Now I feel more productive and less stressed throughout my day.

Call to Action

As church leaders, if we don’t set up healthy boundaries at work, we are setting ourselves and others around us up for failure.

Remember, people won’t respect what they don’t know.

So, out of the two tips, which one can you put into practice today?

What Do You Think?

What about you? 

Do you have another tip not mentioned? 

Feel free to share in the comments section below!