GUEST POST: 5 Ways to Set Productive Boundaries Without Seeming Unresponsive
Photo by Domenico Loia on Unsplash
Today I’ve got a guest post from Emily Roner at Prialto. Take it away, Emily!:
Between email, chat, phone calls, and task management app notifications, it's easy to become distracted by a constant stream of messages. To maximize your productivity, it’s helpful to balance being responsive with finding uninterrupted time to focus on your priorities.
Here are five ways to get started.
1) Keep Relevant People Updated on Your Projects
One of the most effective ways to set productivity communication boundaries is to stay one step ahead in conversations. The vast majority of messages either ask about projects or request/suggest new tasks. If you anticipate those questions and proactively provide the information to relevant people, they don’t need to check-in with you nearly as often.
I do this by mapping out all of my projects from start to finish in my task management tool. As I get new information and requests, I quickly update my project plans to reflect those changes.
Having my projects mapped out, let me set productive boundaries in two ways:
Since I'm typically first to send updates and make requests, I have greater control over the timing of communication, and I receive fewer emails overall
Working off of complete project plans makes it easier for me to anticipate and address new needs before they become urgent
Investing a bit of extra time on project planning gives you much greater control over the conversations and deadlines you have throughout the project lifecycle.
2) Let People Know How to Contact You for Urgent Tasks
One of the biggest concerns people have when setting boundaries is that they'll be slow to respond to an urgent issue. Though this may be valid, it doesn't outweigh the amount of time wasted by checking messages as they come in.
You can set boundaries around which messages you respond to immediately and which ones you wait on by doing two things:
Tell people how to reach you if they need your immediate attention
Set expectations about what is urgent
If your team openly communicates about work preferences, you can have a direct conversation about your desired boundaries. Otherwise, you can subtly set expectations in your project in your normal communications.
Here's an example:
"Please give me a call if [urgent issue] occurs; otherwise, I'll keep everyone updated on Asana."
You can include a request like that at the end of a project update to indicate how and when people should reach out to you for urgent help. It also shares your preferred communication method for routine messages.
3) Create Blocks for Focused Work
A study using the app DeskTime found that highly productive people take breaks every 52 minutes. They've found that working in those intervals allows them to focus deeply without becoming mentally exhausted.
You can use this principle to set productive boundaries by only checking messages every 50-60 minutes. This gives you plenty of time to make progress on your priorities and is manageable since very responding in 60-90 minutes is generally quick enough.
4) Deal with Quick Tasks When You're In Between Activities
I've found that it's the smallest tasks that either get forgotten or derail productivity depending on how you feel when you get the requests. If you're procrastinating on a difficult project, tackling minor requests as they come in can provide a false feeling of being productive.
On the flip side, if you're focused on meeting a deadline, the messages often slip through the cracks.
To prevent either scenario from occurring, it's a good idea to make a note of small requests in your task management system and revisit the list whenever you have a 30 minute or shorter gap in between meetings.
On days where you don't have many meetings, you can also run through these items as a break in between working on challenging projects.
Since small blocks like that aren't long enough to meaningfully dive into deep work, it's a great time to respond to non-urgent emails and deal with other quick requests.
5) Tell People When You're Going to Handle Their Request
Arguably the most crucial part of setting productive boundaries is finishing your priorities before moving on to new requests. Fires pop up that have to be dealt with immediately, but most requests can be postponed a couple of days without hindering progress.
To stick with your project plans, you need to set expectations regarding when you have time to tackle tasks. Here's an example:
"Thanks for sending this over. I'll review it further and get back to you [insert time]. "A quick message like this is typically enough to manage requests from colleagues.
If you're responding to a request from a manager or client, you can give them a say in how you prioritize your time:
"Currently, I'm working on finishing Project X by the end of the day Wednesday. Would you prefer that I refocus on Project Y and push back Project X until [new time]?"
This allows them to decide which project is most urgent and opens up a conversation about timelines if needed.
Regardless of whether you're responding to managers or colleagues, to sustain their trust when you use this approach be careful to provide deadlines that you can meet and that are within an acceptable timeframe for your team.
If you can't provide a specific time frame until you've investigated the project/issue further, commit to completing that review process and suggest a deadline at that time. This messaging acknowledges the request while giving you time to dive deeper into it at a time that's more productive for you.
Overall, taking a bit of extra time to over-communicate with the people you work with allows you to set productive boundaries while continuing to be a reliable and responsive team member.