How to Set Boundaries for Yourself so You Can Bloom

On my last post, I talked a lot about fresh starts and burnout. This post is going to be about how exactly I plan to keep my head above water and never put myself in a place where I feel like I’m drowning ever again.

How can you set boundaries for yourself? By declaring your intentions and thinking about your goals. I’ve done hard work over the last year and especially the last couple of months to analyze what’s important to me.

Get Intentional

YOU have to realize that you need boundaries. No one else can tell you or make you want to change your lifestyle. It has to be up to you to declare when you are ready for change.

Do you need more time for self-care? More time to work towards your goals? Maybe you want to spend less time on social media. Whatever it is you need, boundaries can help steer you in the direction you want to go. And the first step is realizing you want to be more mindful of your time and choices.

No More Overworking

The number one cause of burnout is not stopping. To push through even when you’re tired and drained. When you get to this point, your passions start to feel like a chore. That’s when you know that you need a break and that you are overworking yourself somewhere. That’s when you know that you need boundaries.

Preventing Burnout

Plan for fun! If you plan for fun in the first place, then you are refueling your spirit that much more every time you have fun. Make a date to go out to lunch with your friend or simply getting outside for 30 minutes with a good book, can do wonders for preventing burnout. You can also schedule some time for relaxation which leads me to…

Scheduling Effectively

To boost productivity and to make sure I’m doing my best work, I need to schedule my time. I need to be intentional about when I will write, blog, hang out with friends, and take time for myself. Having a schedule lets you know when to expect to do what work and can give you things to look forward to.

I am so guilty of working weird, crazy hours to get stuff done. I need to make sure I take care of myself first. And then the rest of it will follow. Creating a detailed schedule will help you work when you are most productive in the day. I am not a morning person, so I don’t expect myself to jump out of bed and get straight to work. Instead, I know that within the first half-hour of waking up I need to warm myself up by checking emails and journaling.

This also helps you stop procrastinating! If you know you only have two hours to write that scene in your story than you have to be using that time wisely. No getting distracted by social media or other tasks. Save the things on your to-do list for a time that you’ve already set aside on your calendar.

Realistic Expectations

Y’all, in January and February of this year, I published 14 blog posts each month. That is an absurd amount of content for one person to produce on top of a regular job and writing projects. Getting real with what you can realistically accomplish will be not only good for your productivity but also your stress and anxiety. If you set the bar too high and it’s impossible to reach it, then it will make you feel so defeated. Get real with yourself! What is actually possible given your responsibilities?

Follow Your Passion

Now, this is important and probably will most align with your goals. What is your biggest, messiest dream that you have? What dream is so audacious that you are even scared to say it out loud?

Writing is my passion and I want to be a published author. This is my number one goal that I try to work towards every day. I cannot let myself get distracted from my passion, this goal, this dream that I have. And neither can you! You have to follow that passion with your whole heart and every fiber of your being to realize your true happiness.

Pondering this idea of what my passions are helped me realize the direction I want to take this blog. My passions include writing (my fiercest passion), zero waste, helping women be creative, and travel. So something like this post falls under the category of “helping women be creative.”

I tried to write book reviews to expand the scope of this blog. But it was not something I loved. I LOVE to read but I really have no interest in writing book reviews. I am not a book blogger. I’m an escape this work by writing books and take care of this world with sustainability type of person. So I stopped writing book reviews and won’t force myself to write them. It didn’t fit under my “categories” either. So I will continue to read books for me and not worry about becoming a book blogger. (On a side note: I love to follow book bloggers. They are so cool! I enjoy seeing people’s reviews, tags, and lists.)

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I’ve done ALL of these things and I’ve become a much happier person. I’ve taken control of my life in a way that is intentional, not random. It’s also really helped me be consistent with this blog. I have scheduled my time on Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning to do all things blog related. Which leaves me time to write stories! Stay tuned for more updates on my book. I am blooming now that I have set some boundaries for myself and my creativity flows because of it.

I hope you have found this advice useful! Let me know in the comments if you enjoy this type of content. What type of boundaries have you set for yourself?

Happy Day-