HOME

BOOKMARK

NEWSLETTER

Join our newsletter to receive news of offers and discounts

Search

AS FEATURED IN...


Lucy Siegle On Eithical Living: Sunday March 5, 2006 The Observer

Weight Watchers®.co.uk. Now with an online plan.

Navigation


Parening Books

Search Now:
Amazon Logo


How to Set Healthy Limits at Work


Back in college, I wrote for a five-day-a-week, award-winning campus newpaper. My skills were growing and I was earning a reputation as a solid reporter.

I was miserable.

If I wasn't in class, I was out inverviewing sources or toiling in the newsroom. I missed seeing my friends at the dorm, got little sleep and swigged Maalox to get through the afternoons. And still my desk editor pressured me to be more productive.

Then an adult advisor gave me an insight I've never forgotten:

AN ORGANIZATION WILL TAKE AND TAKE AS LONG AS YOU KEEP GIVING. IF YOU WANT LIMITS ON WHAT YOU GIVE, YOU HAVE TO SET THEM.

This insight has come to my rescue over and over again. It didn't matter what the organization was: a place of employment, a faith community, a volunteer group. Setting healthy boundaries on what I gave was MY job, and no organization would do it for me.

Not that it's easy. Setting limits can be scary, especially when your job is at stake. Workplaces vary widely in their responses to employees' attempts to set limits.

"The cold, hard reality is that you can't always do that where you are," says Linda Koch, a recruiter for Flexible Resources, Inc., of Stamford, Connecticut.

Having a strong track record as a valuable and accommodating employee helps.

In addition, experts say, you might:

--Put your proposal in writing.

--Be specific about what you want your new schedule to look like.

--Think like your boss. Show how you will meet goals and handle emergencies when your new limits go into effect.

--Support your proposal with business reasons rather than your personal reasons.

--Anticipate objections.

--Give your boss plenty of time to review your proposal.

You could even offer your proposal as an "experiment," Koch suggests.

The good news is that technology is allowing workers to keep up productivity with less face time. Meanwhile, employers are gradually learning that allowing employees greater flexibility boosts motivation and loyalty.

Back in college, I didn't have any strategies for setting limits. I just pushed through my fear, marched up to my desk editor and said I was going to go home every day by 4 PM.

PERIOD.

That conversation took every ounce of my strength. To my amazement, though, the sky didn't fall! I was fortunate to be taught a lesson that guides me to this day.

Everyone needs healthy limits. If you're giving too much, take at least one small step today to establish the limits that work for you.

(c) 2004 Norma Schmidt, Coach, LLC

Norma Schmidt, Coach, LLC, specializes in helping women who are both professionals and parents to create balance. She offers teleclasses, workshops and individual and group coaching. Norma publishes "The Balance Point," a free e-zine, every other Friday. Visit http://www.NormaSchmidt.com


MORE RESOURCES:

MiamiHerald.com

Breastfed babies may gain less weight
Fox News
Babies who are fed milk from their mothers' breasts gain less weight over their first year compared to babies fed milk—breast or formula—from a bottle, suggests a new study. The lead author said the difference may come down to how much of a role ...
Did Cave Babies Have Attachment Parents?MiamiHerald.com
Bottle-fed babies gain more weight in first year, study findsVancouver Sun

all 53 news articles »


ABC News

Most Popular Baby Names in Massachusetts
Patch.com
The top five names for babies in Massachusetts in 2010 returned in 2011, but in a different order. By Charlie Breitrose Top baby names in Massachusetts for 2011: William and Sophia. Patch File Photo Maybe it the Royal Wedding had something to do with ...
Unique Names Top Indiana's Most Popular For BabiesWRTV Indianapolis

all 141 news articles »


Top Baby Names In Nevada
KLAS-TV
More>> LAS VEGAS -- Officials say Sophia and Anthony were the top baby name picks among Nevada parents in 2011. The Social Security Administration says the 221 babies named Sophia puts Nevada in line with their peers nationwide.

and more »


TIME

For the first time, minority babies are the majority in U.S.
Chicago Sun-Times
By Hope Yen May 18, 2012 1:40AM Stephanie Dowell/Post-Tribune A baby opens her eyes as she and fellow newborns have their picture taken in the nursery of the family birthing center at St. Margaret Mercy Hospital in Dyer May 23, 2001.
White babies lose USmajorityThe Durango Herald
Minority babies outnumbered white newborns in 2011Washington Post
More minority babies than whites in US: Census BureauChicago Tribune
TIME
all 1,220 news articles »


The Star-Ledger - NJ.com

Strollin' with your baby in Hoboken
The Star-Ledger - NJ.com
By Kathleen O'Brien/The Star-Ledger Perhaps it was the pipe-cleaner bracelet that clinched a trophy in the Hoboken Baby Parade for this 2011 participant. Think of it as the Easter Parade for toddlers. Some parents dress their babies in the standard ...



LifeHealthPro

White babies are the new minority in America
Los Angeles Times
By David Horsey Pudgy, pink Gerber babies are no longer the typical child being born in the United States. According to the US Census Bureau, moms who are Latino, Asian, African American or mixed race are now giving birth to just over 50% of American ...
America's Non-White Majority Won't Remake the GOP Anytime SoonHuffington Post (blog)
More minority babies than whites in USAllentown Morning Call
The baby bombshellNew York Post (blog)
Arizona Daily Star -ABC NEWS 4 -BET
all 21 news articles »


NDTV

Two more babies die in Srinagar hospital; protesters block highway
NDTV
Srinagar: The horror of infant deaths continues in Srinagar with two more babies having lost their lives in the last 24 hours at the government-run GB Pant Hospital in the city. With this, the toll in the hospital has risen to 46 in less than three ...
Infant DeathsGreaterKashmir.com

all 115 news articles »


BBC News

Babies to 'teach' pupils empathy
BBC News
Babies are set to be brought into primary schools in Cardiff to help improve pupils' empathy levels and help reduce any bullying and aggression. The scheme, pioneered in Canada, encourages children to interact in a nurturing manner after observing a ...



PBS

Baby's Tumor Means Surgery Before Birth
PBS
"But we don't know why they occur in only some babies, or why some grow more than others," said Crombleholme, who is now surgeon-in-chief of the Colorado Institute for Maternal and Fetal Health. Once a fetus develops a tumor, it can grow very rapidly ...



Newborn babies being wrapped in towels because of hospital blanket shortage
Scottish Daily Record
NEWBORN babies are being wrapped in towels instead of blankets because of shortages at one of Scotland's biggest maternity hospitals. Last night, politicians united in anger over the scandal – just two months after Alex Salmond promised changes after a ...
Hospital short of blankets for babiesThe Scottish Sun

all 3 news articles »

Google News