setting work boundaries with myself
At one point in my life, I wore the label "workaholic" like a badge of honor. I worked excessive hours, beyond what is required of me, and even during what is ostensibly my "break" time, I found my mind meandering, incessantly thinking about work: Should I write about [topic] in my next blogpost? I should start studying for my exams. I have an idea that will change the world.
I thought this aberrant drive to work was merely love for my craft, a love to pursue my goals. Now that I look back it, it was not just an interest to work, it was a compulsion, one rooted from a fear of inadequacy, being left behind, and missing out.
My work bleeds into my days, and I soon realized that there isn't a clear, set time in my day when I am taking a proper break. I had a tendency of squeezing in as much tasks as I can throughout the day, immediately jumping from one task to the other. I thought that excessive working equated productivity.
Working a lot isn't inherently bad, neither is perfecting your craft, but I believe it becomes counterproductive when it consumes every aspect of your life - relationships, hobbies, social life. The most difficult thing I have been actively trying to cultivate into my life is setting boundaries. With myself, specifically.
We always talk about setting work boundaries with bosses, with people who demand minuscule tasks here and there, but what about setting work boundaries with ourselves?
Now, when I am time-blocking my day, I aim to strategically allocate an hour or two to doing nothing. Not even stimulation like from phone doom-scrolling, TV, or a book. Just resting, zoning out. I believe that my memory, executive function, and my productivity have substantially improved ever since, and I found myself becoming less prone to burning out. I still find it tempting to jump in from one task to another, but I will get there.