One of the most common questions I hear from early career academics during mentoring sessions revolves around work-life balance. How do you “balance” multiple career demands — like research, teaching, service, and relationship building — with relationships, hobbies, and self-care? Sometimes, folks I work with believe that it is actually not possible to succeed at work without feeling like a failure in the other areas of their lives.
Honestly, I used to feel this way too. Here’s a “truth” I’ve learned through trial and error: Work-life balance isn’t a magical state of equilibrium, it’s about boundaries—setting. Actually, not just setting boundaries but maintaining and respecting them. And, the person who might be most likely to ignore or violate your boundaries at work, is often yourself.
I regularly recommend Nedra Glover Tawwab’s insightful book, Set Boundaries, Find Peace: A Guide to Reclaiming Yourself. Tawwab emphasizes that boundaries are a form of self-care. Boundaries protect your energy, focus, peace, and time. In academia, non-profits, and community-based work, where the lines between professional and personal life can be easily blurred, strong boundaries are essential.
Why boundaries matter
Boundaries allow you to define what’s acceptable in your work and personal life. Without them, it’s easy to overcommit, burn out, or feel like you’re falling short. For instance:
- Time boundaries: Set clear working hours and stick to them. Just because an email arrives at 11 p.m. doesn’t mean it requires an immediate response. Many of us are not in roles where we even need to know we got an email until we are back at work during regular business hours.
- Task boundaries: Learn to say no to opportunities that don’t align with your priorities or values, even if they seem exciting or prestigious. This is often a real challenge as we don’t want to miss out on opportunities that could be career-changing, impactful in our communities, or allow us to collaborate with people we enjoy.
- Emotional boundaries: Recognize your emotional capacity. You don’t need to be everything to everyone—be clear about the support you can and can’t provide.
Implementing boundaries at work
Sustainable success requires intentional choices, even in organizations and institutions that seem to glorify overworking. Here are some strategies you can consider:
- Communicate expectations: Share your boundaries with colleagues and supervisors. For example, let them know the hours you’re available for meetings or when you’ll respond to emails. If you decide to share your personal cell or email address, explain how you want them to communicate with you and what to expect if they do something different. This can sound like: “While texting during work hours is welcome, I want to let you know that you won’t hear from me during the evenings and weekends. I actually turn off text notifications when I am not working, so I likely won’t even see any messages you send until I’m back at work.”
- Create routines: Routines can anchor our boundaries. Setting a designated end to the workday and creating a daily ritual (like a short walk) can help the transition into personal time.
- Model behavior: Demonstrate healthy boundaries to your direct reports, peers and students. When you prioritize balance, you invite others to feel supported in doing the same.
Final thoughts
Boundary-setting isn’t always easy, especially when you’re just starting out in your career. But as Tawwab writes, “The ability to say no to yourself is a gift. If you can resist your urges, change your habits, and say yes to only what you deem truly meaningful, you’ll be practicing healthy self-boundaries.” By defining your limits, you create space for what truly matters — your growth, joy, well-being, and professional success.
Katherine Soule 