by: jannalabarriePosted on:

7 Work Boundaries To Set For Better Work-Life Balance

Working moms are always seeking to improve our work-life balance. Yes, our careers are important to us, but so are our families, and we want to be able to succeed at both. We only have so much emotional and physical energy in a day – chances are we don’t want to spend it all at work.

Achieving work-life balance is all about setting healthy work boundaries so we have more time and energy for our personal commitments. Having good work-life balance makes us feel better about our jobs, helps us to be more present with our families, and contributes to our overall happiness and life satisfaction.

Why setting work boundaries is crucial

You probably already know how important it is to set strong boundaries at work. Setting appropriate and respectful boundaries improves our occupational wellness, helps us achieve a sustainable work-life balance, makes us better at our jobs, and promotes our overall wellbeing.

It helps us achieve our personal goals

When we set boundaries at work, we free up the time and space we need to pursue our own personal goals. That energy is now available to be used elsewhere, whether that’s into parenting, a hobby, a new skill, or personal development. For example, that extra 20 minutes we spend working off the clock every day may not seem like much in the moment, but add that up over a 5-day work week and we’re looking at 100 minutes – that’s just short of two hours. There’s probably quite a lot you could do with that time! 

It makes us more productive

Healthy boundaries can actually make us more productive by increasing our focus, presence, and drive at work. When we know we have a certain amount of time to get something done, we’re generally more motivated to finish it. And when we allow ourselves to have some separation from work, our brains aren’t worn down from being constantly “on,” so we can be more focused when we actually are on the clock. 

It prevents burnout

Working mom burnout is a widespread problem. A staggering 49% of moms in mid- to high-income jobs and 32% of moms in lower income jobs report feeling burned out based on large survey data obtained by the University of Phoenix in 2023. Boundary-setting at work helps us to prevent and manage burnout by contributing to a sense of control, improving our occupational wellbeing, and promoting a healthy work-life balance.

It makes us feel better about our jobs

Occupational wellbeing is an important component of overall wellness. It’s related to how we feel about our work, our professional purpose, and the satisfaction we get from our jobs. Setting boundaries makes us feel less stressed out and happier with our jobs, which contributes to improved occupational wellness and a better sense of overall wellbeing.

It promotes a healthy work-life balance

When we set healthy work boundaries, we have more time and energy for ourselves and our families. That means we feel less stressed, less emotionally and physically exhausted, and less burned out. With good boundary-setting, we have more time for our personal lives and can enjoy spending time with our families.

—Betsy Jacobson

Why setting work boundaries is hard

Even though we know we can benefit from setting strong boundaries at work, it can still be difficult to actually do it. The fear of negative professional repercussions and awkward conversations can make us hesitant. However, setting boundaries is crucial to our personal wellbeing, and they can actually motivate us to be better workers.

We have perfectionist tendencies

Perfectionist tendencies can make it hard to set firm boundaries, especially if those tendencies are what have contributed to our professional success in the first place. Maybe we’re used to performing at a high standard, want to make sure that we get the job done right, or feel like ‘we are the only ones who can do it.’ Perfectionism can make us excel at our jobs, but it can also cause us to stay at work late, work off the clock, and do things ourselves instead of delegating when appropriate.

We have a fear of missing out (FOMO)

We might be afraid that if we set firm boundaries at work, we might miss out on new career opportunities. I used to be guilty of having real FOMO when it came to work, especially if there was an opportunity to make new connections or use my skills in different ways. Saying yes to everything might be fun and open the door to new opportunities, but it may also mean more work off the clock.

We just started a new job

If you’ve recently started a new job, it can feel a bit uncomfortable establishing work boundaries while you’re still trying to get out of the new-girl phase. You might be reluctant to overstep or appear ‘difficult’ or ‘entitled’. It might feel awkward, but setting boundaries early on helps you avoid unsustainable expectations in the long run.

We want to prove ourselves

Another reason setting boundaries at work is hard comes from our desire to prove that we can do it all – be excellent moms and excel at work at the same time. In male-dominated fields or executive roles, there is often a pressure to perform as if motherhood doesn’t affect us, even while we remain the primary caregivers, schedule keepers, and planners in most households. Unfortunately, trying to do it all can leave us feeling overwhelmed and burned out as we try to measure up to unrealistic standards.

7 work boundaries to set for better work-life balance

1. Avoid overcommitting

Overcommitting at work is the fastest way to get burned out. For where I’m at in life right now, I know that starting more than one new thing at a time will only end up with increased stress and a mediocre outcome. With any new work projects, I give myself at least 6 months to settle into a routine before agreeing to work on something else. Depending on your work environment and personal responsibilities, you may be able to take on more than that, but the point is to be confident you can handle it along with your other commitments before saying yes.

2. Leave on time 

Leaving work on time is huge when it comes to work-life balance for working moms. As bad as it sounds, I’m usually packed and ready to go the second my workday ends. There are, of course, times when I need to stay late, but that’s few and far between. Leaving on time actually helps me to focus while I’m at work – since I know I’ll be leaving, I’m more motivated to finish my tasks before I clock out rather than wait until the last minute.

3. Don’t text or call after work 

Unless there’s an actual emergency, there’s really no need to respond to work communications outside of work. Doing so opens the door for more, non-essential communication and sets up the expectation that I’m available 24/7 – which I most certainly am not. It’s essentially a way for us to separate the two – keep work at work and personal life personal.

4. Skip after-hour work events

I’m all for hanging out with my coworkers outside of work, but when the plan falls on a weekday after work, I’m most likely going to sit that one out. After waking up at the crack of dawn to get my son ready for daycare and working a full day, my emotional and physical energy levels just aren’t high enough to get through another two hours of socialization with my coworkers.

5. Complete work tasks only during scheduled work hours 

As a physical therapist, I have endless documentation to get through by the end of the day. But I never take my documentation home – I make sure that it’s done while I’m at work. If it’s not, I tackle it the next day. I’ve lived the life of staying after hours to finish the day’s work, and it was miserable. It also gave me an excuse to procrastinate. “I’ll do it later” was my common excuse for putting things off. Now that I have a fairly strict “no work after hours” boundary, I make sure I get my tasks done before I leave.

6. Don’t feel guilty about taking PTO

It took me a while to not feel guilty about taking PTO. I had to change my perspective and understand that working for months on end without taking a break was doing more harm than good – to my family, myself, and my clients. When we don’t take breaks, we put ourselves on the fast track to emotional and mental burnout, and nothing good comes from that.

7. No work during lunch breaks  

If there was a group dedicated to banning meetings during lunch, I’d join in a heartbeat. Lunch is the one actual scheduled break in my workday, and I often use it to decompress and recharge my emotional battery – I might take a walk outside, listen to some calming music, or do a meditation in my car. Without that break, I feel like I’m running on fumes by the end of the day, so I make it a point to resist doing work at that time.

Tips for setting boundaries at work

Prioritize what’s important 

What are your goals right now? Do you want more time for self-care? More time for personal hobbies? Just more time at home? Knowing what you want makes it easier to figure out what kinds of boundaries you need to set and how to communicate them. Spend some time thinking about your priorities and be honest with yourself about what’s important to you. 

Be respectful and consistent 

Communicating our boundaries to coworkers may be awkward at first, but as you continue to establish them consistently, firmly, and respectfully, they will become the new norm. Consistency is key – if we keep bending the rules, then they’re not rules anymore.

Start small

It can be difficult to make drastic changes to the way we do things. Starting with small changes can make the process more manageable – instead of promptly leaving at the time we’re supposed to, we can start by leaving on time a couple times a week or getting out of the office five minutes earlier every day. Making small, gradual changes will begin to set a new standard without coming off too harsh.

Setting boundaries at work might be hard, but it’s a crucial step for working moms to improve our wellbeing and achieve a healthy work-life balance. Worrying about the impact of boundary-setting at work is understandable – we work hard to get where we are, and the thought of jeopardizing that hurts. But the stress and anxiety of trying to do and have it all at the same time hurts too. Even small boundaries can have big changes on our quality of life.

References

“Good Life Goals.” Www.goodlifegoals.org, www.goodlifegoals.org/blogs/how-to-set-boundaries-for-productivity.

“Sandwich Generation | University of Phoenix.” University of Phoenix, 2025, www.phoenix.edu/career-institute/sandwich-generation.html.

“How Better Boundaries Can Prevent Burnout.” Psychology Today, 2022, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/conquering-codependency/202209/how-better-boundaries-can-prevent-burnout/amp. Accessed 15 Apr. 2026.

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