Episode #654: Are Your Work Boundaries Slipping - Abundant Practice Podcast

Summary

Abundant Practice Podcast
Episode #654: Are Your Work Boundaries Slipping
Host: Allison Puryear
Release Date: May 31, 2025

Introduction to Work-Life Balance Challenges

In Episode #654 of the Abundant Practice Podcast, host Allison Puryear delves into a pressing concern for many entrepreneurs and therapists: maintaining a healthy balance between work and personal life. The episode, titled "Are Your Work Boundaries Slipping," addresses the common struggle of being constantly engaged with work tasks, leading to an overwhelming sense of needing to be "on" at all times.

The Entrepreneurial Trap

Allison begins by acknowledging the entirely relatable nature of the question posed by a listener: "How do you balance work and life when you're always thinking about tasks and constantly feeling like you need to be on?" (02:20)

She draws a parallel between the entrepreneurial mindset and the anxieties experienced during school days, highlighting how the never-ending cycle of tasks can spill over into personal life. Allison states:

"Do you remember when you were in school and there was this incredibly specific feeling that you couldn't relax until every single assignment was completed? That's entrepreneurship." (03:15)

Personal Journey and Realizations

Allison shares a personal anecdote about her early days in private practice, where she was obsessed with checking off her to-do list. She believed that relaxation was only permissible once every task was completed. This relentless pursuit led to:

Exhaustion and a fried brain
Deteriorating relationships, particularly with family
A persistent state of anxiety, where relaxation was an elusive goal

She reflects:

"I was in a constant state of anxiety. I was waiting for the right moment to relax. But those moments never came." (04:40)

This realization marked a pivotal moment for Allison, understanding that striving for perfection and completeness before taking a break was unsustainable.

Practical Strategies for Setting Boundaries

Transitioning from her personal experiences, Allison offers practical, actionable strategies to help listeners establish and maintain healthy work boundaries:

Remove Email Access from Personal Devices
"Take email off your phone. If you're constantly checking your emails on your phone, you're inviting work into your personal life 24/7." (05:10)
By eliminating email notifications and access on phones, therapists can reduce the temptation to engage with work during personal time.
Limit Work-Related Apps on Personal Devices
"Keep your work-related apps only on your work computer or device and ensure they're not on your personal phone." (05:45)
Storing work tools exclusively on professional devices helps create a clear separation between work and personal life.
Implement 'Do Not Disturb' Policies
"Leave your phone in another room, put it on 'Do Not Disturb,' and resist the urge to check it every 30 seconds." (06:05)
Creating physical and mental barriers to work interruptions fosters a more focused and relaxed personal environment.
Schedule Intentional Breaks
"Set aside intentional times for breaks, whether that's to chat with a colleague, take a walk, or simply relax." (06:35)
Structured breaks during work hours enhance productivity and prevent burnout without encroaching on personal time.
Practice Letting Go of Perfectionism
"Start practicing letting go of the idea that you can or should finish everything. Learn to be comfortable with unfinished tasks." (07:10)
Prioritizing essential tasks and accepting that some can wait reduces unnecessary stress and mental clutter.

The Importance of Protecting Personal Well-being

Allison emphasizes that burnout is a real and dangerous consequence of neglecting personal boundaries. She warns:

"All this constant work can chip away at your health, at your relationships, at your overall happiness." (07:45)

Maintaining boundaries is not solely for the benefit of one's business but is crucial for personal fulfillment and long-term sustainability in the profession. She underscores the necessity of:

Protecting one's energy
Staying present
Maintaining clear boundaries

Conclusion and Call to Action

In closing, Allison reiterates the beauty and honor of the therapeutic profession but cautions against the unsustainable nature of being perpetually on the clock. She encourages listeners to:

Embrace boundary-setting as a fundamental practice
Utilize available resources, such as her free worksheet titled "Top 10 Things You Can Do to Regain Balance," available through her website
"DM me the word sheets, and I will send you this week's free worksheet." (07:55)

Allison's heartfelt plea is to ensure that therapists and entrepreneurs alike thrive not just in their businesses but also in their personal lives, fostering a harmonious and fulfilling existence.

Additional Resources

For those seeking further support:

Membership Program: Abundance Party offers a step-by-step guide to working fewer hours while increasing income and client satisfaction. Visit www.abundanceparty.com for more information.
Free Tools: Access checklists, worksheets, and more at www.abundancepracticebuilding.com.
Support: For personalized assistance, email the team at help@abundancepracticebuilding.com.

Timestamp Reference

02:20: Introduction of the main question and topic
03:15: Comparison between school stress and entrepreneurial mindset
04:40: Allison's personal struggles with work-life balance
05:10: Strategy 1: Remove email from phone
05:45: Strategy 2: Limit work apps on personal devices
06:05: Strategy 3: Implement 'Do Not Disturb'
06:35: Strategy 4: Schedule intentional breaks
07:10: Strategy 5: Practice letting go
07:45: Warning against burnout
07:55: Call to action for accessing free worksheets

Note: Timestamps are based on approximate points within the podcast episode for reference.

Transcript

A (0:00)

Foreign welcome to Ask Allison.

B (0:09)

Y' all ask the questions about having a fun and thriving practice and I answer them. We have a worksheet for you today so you can bring this answer into your life. You can Access that@AbundancePracticeBuilding.com links where you'll also be able to ask any questions you have for Ask Allison. If you want more support, we've got some free trainings in there too. If you can't get enough Ask Allison, check out our YouTube channel for our entire Ask Allison library.

A (0:36)

Welcome back to Ask Allison. Here is today's question. How do you balance work in life when you're always thinking about tasks and constantly feeling like you need to be on? I love this question. First, I'd like to thank TherapyNotes for sponsoring Ask Allison. I've talked about them for years. You probably know their features by heart, but what really sets them apart is that they genuinely care about your experience. It's not just about troubleshooting. They actively implement user suggested features like their new AI notes and automated client payments. Everybody at TherapyNotes believes in the product and they want you to love it too. Plus, they're independently owned, which means no venture capital and no pressure to prioritize investors over you. This independence allows them to keep their prices fair, to focus on innovation, and to prioritize customer experience. With over 100,000 therapists already on board, they've proven you don't need to have to compromise success for quality. If you're ready to see for yourself, try TherapyNotes free for two months with code abundant@theapynotes.com all right, so this is a big question. It's something that many of us, especially the entrepreneurial world, wrestle with every single day. It's really easy to get lost in the endless cycle of tasks and emails and to dos. But I want to dive into how we can navigate this and find better balance. Because it is not about working 24 7. So I want you to take a second to think about this. Do you remember when you were in school and there was this incredibly specific feeling that you couldn't relax until every single assignment was completed? Like it was holiday break or something. Like if I don't finish my work, I can't let myself fully unwind? Guess what? That's entrepreneurship. I can't relax until everything is done follows us into businesses. But it is a trap. And I'll be the first to admit that I have fallen into it more times than I'd like to count. So for example, when you're at the dinner table with your family, everything's going well, and then suddenly, bam. You realize you didn't respond to an email or you're about to fall asleep, and all of a sudden your brain is like, did I send that invoice? We have all been there. So here's the thing. It is so tempting in those moments to just pull out your phone and handle it. You think it's just going to take, like, less than five minutes. I'll just knock it out really quick, and then I can be really present and relaxed afterwards, which seems legitimate. But those five minutes aren't just five minutes. They are a violation of your boundaries. They're a violation of your priorities. And again, you might be like, allison, it's just five minutes. What's the harm? Let me explain. I know you didn't start your business just to make money. Most of us, at least the ones who really want to be in this for the long haul, we started because we wanted freedom. We wanted time for ourselves, for the people we love. But if you don't set boundaries around what and how you engage with your work, you're gonna lose that freedom that you set out to create. Think about it. When you're constantly answering emails during dinner or you're dealing with work issues right before bed, it's like your business is constantly intruding into your personal space. And that might not seem like a small thing at first, but over time, it starts to eat away your ability to really enjoy those moments with your family or your friends or just being by yourself. So I'm going to share a bit of a personal story. When I first started my business, I was obsessed with checking off my to do list. I thought the only way I could earn relaxation was if I cleared everything. Once I finish this project, I can relax. Once I respond to these emails, I can book a massage. Once I finish this task, I'll take a break. Probably sounds familiar. I was in constant hustle mode. I kept thinking that self care and relaxation would only be okay once all the work was done. And guess what happened? I was exhausted. My brain was fried. My relationships, especially with my family, started to suffer. I started to realize that this pattern was not sustainable. It wasn't just about work. It was about the mindset that was driving it. I was in a constant state of anxiety. I was waiting for the right moment to relax. But those moments never came. My to do list always grew. And I kept waiting for magical moments when everything was done so I could finally take a break. Here's the problem with that. There will never be a perfect time. You could work 24. 7 and still never be done. And that's what hit me hard. I had to get comfortable with the discomfort of not finishing everything and still allowing myself to take a break. It is not easy, but it's been a game changer. So let's get practical. What can you do to start managing this better? How can you avoid getting stuck in this cycle of constant work intrusion? Here's what I've started doing. I want to challenge you to try these strategies too. First, I want you to take email off your phone. It's a really big one. If you're constantly checking your emails on your phone, you're inviting work into your personal life 24. 7. So here's what I recommend. Remove your email from your phone. If you don't see those emails, you're less likely to act on them when you're supposed to be taking time off. Number two, I know it's really tempting to have everything at your fingertips, but those work related apps, whether it's your practice management tool, your client portal, anything else that can really distract you during your off hours. Consider keeping those apps only on your work computer or device and making sure they're not on your personal phone. You could leave your phone in another room, put it on, do not disturb. Resist the urge to check it every 30 seconds. And when you're with your family or you're taking time for yourself, really make that time sacred. You can also use an app that blocks apps. That's what I do. I use an app called Freedom and and it blocks my access to my work apps. After 5pm when you're at work, you can set aside intentional times for breaks. Whether that's to chat with a colleague, to take a walk, to just like scroll the Internet for a little bit. These breaks really help you stay fresh and focused. But be sure to stick to your work during your work hours and don't let personal tasks slip in then because then you don't get your stuff done. And lastly, practice letting go. There's a mindset shift that has been huge for me. Start practicing letting go of the idea that you can or you should finish everything. A lot of the time things can wait until tomorrow, so learn to be really comfortable with unfinished tasks. Know the ones that are a priority to get done every day. Make sure those get done. The others can wait. Step away from your work, even if it means leaving things undone. So I want to emphasize that burnout is real. It's ugly if you're not careful all this constant work can chip away at your health, at your relationships, at your overall happiness. None of us are in this for the short term. We are in it for the long game. And that means protecting our energy, staying present, maintaining our boundaries. And not just for the benefit of our business, but for our personal lives too. This profession is beautiful. It is an honor to do the work we do. But we cannot pretend that being on the clock 247 is sustainable. It's not. If we want to do this for the long haul, we have to get practiced at setting those boundaries and sticking to them. So if you are looking for some practical steps to help you start setting those boundaries right now. DM me the word sheets and I will send you this week's free worksheet. It is top 10 things you can do to regain balance along with links to all the other previous free worksheets also. So let's work together to make sure you're not just thriving in your business, but thriving in your life too. Thank you for tuning in and I will see you next week.