Most people are feeling stressed and overworked in their careers, even if they love what they do.

One way to tackle this issue is through effective time management techniques, and one of those techniques is to create boundaries at work.

Sometimes, that means saying no to co-workers, clients, and even your boss.

You may be afraid if you say no you won’t be thought of as a hard worker or team player when in fact, saying no sometimes can actually help boost your career.

If you say yes to everything, you run the risk of burnout or not doing as well with your current tasks because you are overtaxed. But if you say no, you are seen as someone with a backbone, someone who is thoughtful about their approach, and someone with humility who knows they aren’t an expert in everything.

So how do you set and enforce boundaries at work without damaging your career path?

First off, it helps to get clear about what your boundaries are. Consider what is important to you, what isn’t, and what you can realistically tackle in a day. Then, consider what bothers you about enforcing those boundaries. Are you afraid you won’t be seen as a team player? Do you think you will be penalized in some way? Is it possible you won’t be asked again when a great project or opportunity comes up?

The truth is that the fallout is rarely as bad as you expect it to be.

Try these tips for creating boundaries at work:

1. Be prepared

It helps to know how you are going to say no before you say it. Have a list of standard responses at the ready so that you don’t falter when asked. This is especially useful if someone has been dropping hints that they are going to be looking for your help so that you can be specific in your answer. Polite but firm options might include things like, “thank you for thinking of me but I’m booked up with projects now” or “I appreciate the opportunity but I can’t take this on at the moment.”

2. Be confident

Use a friendly, respectful, and diplomatic tone, while making sure you are firm. You want to generate goodwill, but enforce your boundary. Keep your response succinct, avoiding the urge to over-explain. Then close out the request by saying something like, “thank you for understanding,” or “good luck.”

3. Be honest

People will pick up on the genuine nature of your response if you are honest about why you are declining, and will be less likely to press you. Also, it will just make you feel better about saying no, and you won’t have to worry about getting caught in a lie in the future.

4. Be ready to compromise

Sometimes you just can’t say no altogether, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enforce your boundaries. In this instance, you can push a collaborative approach by saying you’ll help on someone else’s project if you can get help with a project of your own, or that you’ll take on a piece of the project, but not the whole thing. You can also put the responsibility back on your boss by reminding them your list of current projects, and ask which one should be put on the back burner while you work on this new request. That way you show you are ready to be a part of the team, but not at the cost of the quality of your work.

5. Say no without actually saying “no”

There are ways to decline a request without actually using the word “no.” For example, you can say you can’t help now, but that the person can ask you again in the future when you free up. Or that you really aren’t the right person for the proposed project, but that you know someone who is or know of a resource where they could find help.

Sometimes, it seems impossible to say no. When you’ve considered your time management priorities and attempted to create boundaries at work, but your supervisor doesn’t respect them, you might reach out to others within your office to see if they have any insight into the best way to deal with this person.

---

Need help developing your self-advocacy skills? Consult with a coach or mentor today.  

---