It’s officially February, which means your New Year’s resolutions of setting boundaries and balancing your work and life have already faded into the background of Slack notifications, deck revisions, and your email inbox. I’ve somehow managed to keep my head at a healthy level above water, even though it feels there are never enough hours in the day to get everything done. For this, I credit my manifesto of boundary-setting tips I’ve shared below. Let’s get into it.
How to help your team set healthier boundaries (because remember: healthy boundaries = happier employees = better output):
When they say “I’ll get to that this weekend,” you say: “Absolutely not, please enjoy your weekend and we’ll tackle it on Monday.” That way, when there’s actually a weekend emergency, they won’t hold it against you.
When you’re catching up on Slacks at night, make sure you schedule your replies for the next morning. Here’s the catch, though: You can’t schedule them all for the default 9am. It’s like a coordinated Slack attack right as they’re enjoying their oatmeal.
Encourage your team to block their calendars for undisturbed alone time, or even better, coordinate with other teams to do synchronized calendar blocks. For example, Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 10 - 12pm can be a no meeting zone.
Take it a step further: Set synchronized days off. Some companies do Summer Fridays all year long. Some do a scheduled mental health day every month or more sporadically. Because as nice as it is to take vacation days, you always come back to an unwieldy amount of messages and slip right back into your pre-vacation stress. Synchronized time off means everyone is offline — no pings.
How to set boundaries for yourself:
When you start a new job, don’t give in to the urge to go overboard in the beginning to prove yourself. If you don’t respond nights and weeknights from the very beginning, you won’t be expected to later on. But if you start your communication off that way, your new team may subconsciously take advantage of it, knowing you’re “probably just sitting on your laptop anyway.”
Add away messages on Slack. It’s an easy way to communicate that you’re not going to respond. If you’re working on something that requires more concentration or just want to take a break to walk your dog, you’ll feel better knowing that no one is expecting a response from you.
Not going to get through your whole to-do list today? Pretty sure that’s fine and nothing will blow up. Communicate your new ETA to the people who were expecting your work, and then get offline. As long as you communicate your new timing, no one should be (too) disappointed.
Start planting the seed for a new hire before you need it. The worst thing you can do is raise your hand for support when you’re already burned out and ready to pass something off to someone… anyone. Getting alignment on the hire, writing the JD, finding the perfect person and onboarding them takes MONTHS. It’s never too early to start the conversation with your manager, and if you are a manager, it’s always a good time to ask your team about what future hires they may need to open the doors for them.
BU Community Wins
Founding100 member and BU Advisor Neha Gandhi is now working with modern menstruation brand Looni, co-founded by Founding100 members Chelsea Leyland and Tatiana Steel. 🤝
I enjoyed this clever and heartwarming inaugural newsletter entry by Founding100 member Meg Strachan in her new Substack about how fashion fits into our lives. Congrats on your launch!
I continue to be inspired by Founding100 member Nicole Najafi’s work advocating for a free Iran and grateful for the awareness she’s spreading that many large outlets aren't bothering to. If you want to know what’s going on in Iran, give her a follow!
Jobs — hit me up if you want an intro
Natural sleep supplement brand Sandland Sleep is hiring a Director of Social. What’s more fun than making content about sleep?
Everyone's favorite organic baby formula brand Bobbie is hiring an Ops Coordinator. I’d jump on this one – they’re growing fast and have definitely made waves in the parenting space.
High performance supplements brand ASYSTEM is hiring an Ops Manager & Content Lead. Who doesn’t love a discount on libido gummies?
Jewelry brand beloved by Justin and Hailey Bieber Dorsey is hiring a Fractional Assistant (PT). You can get a sense for the founder Meg Strachan’s vibe from her newsletter linked above!
Some noteworthy tweets this week, ICYMI:
Setting boundaries by signing off,
JT