Boundaries at Work: Different Platforms for Different Things

Now you’ve decided how and when people can contact you for anything work related (see last post), you may want to extend this idea still further. There’s 101 ways that people can contact us now and that can feel overwhelming. Drawing boundaries for work is important for everyone but, as a small business owner, it’s crucial to think about your wellbeing more holistically.

Ensuring that you’re thriving is important for you as an individual first and foremost, but it also has a massive knock on effect to the health of your business. You have the opportunity to design the life you want and it’s important to avoid burnout. So, how can you utilise different platforms for different things?

Do you only talk to family over text / call, friends on WhatsApp and colleagues on email? Is that too strict for you? It’s absolutely fine if so, there’s definitely no ‘one size fits all’ approach. Some people see LinkedIn as a replacement for email, others see it as just another social media account to expand their circle / share their news.

The point is to make active choices about how you’re using these different platforms, rather than passive ones and allowing people to contact you in a range of different ways. That’s hard to keep track of, overwhelming and can quickly blur the boundaries between your work and social life. Take some time to pause and get clear on what platforms you like, how you want to use them and who you want to connect with over them. You can’t talk to everyone on every platform, it’s just not sustainable.

The killer for me is Instagram. It’s the biggest platform I use to communicate for my business, I now have a spin off account and I use it personally. If you’re in a similar position with this, or another social media platform, then there’s a few options to consider.

1) Turn off notifications so your attention isn’t pulled between the different accounts and you can choose when you want to look at each one. 2) Set boundaries as to when you’ll look at each of your accounts e.g. your business one in your pre-determined work hours and your personal one in down time. 3) If you want or need to message people over Instagram for your business, then I’d encourage you to message friends on WhatsApp (even if you’d be doing it from a different account!) Conversely, if your chats with friends are all on Instagram, then keep work chats for email.

As with so many things in life, simplicity is often best. Are there certain platforms that really don’t add anything to your life? Could you come off them? Are there ways you could consolidate accounts?

The more streamlined you can make your life online the happier you will be. It’s time to take self-care seriously and give yourself the digital detox you deserve. We’ll be exploring this more fully in the section on ‘your relationship with your phone’ but for now, let’s return to the ‘real’ world outside of your phone… How do you create healthy boundaries in your day between work, meeting slots and socialising?

MY ACTION PLAN:

·       Take some time get clear on what platforms you like, how you want to use them and who you want to connect with over them. Make some notes for yourself or set intentions…

·       Consider turning notifications off – at least on apps that are a distraction!

·       Can you streamline your online life e.g. delete some apps or consolidate social media?

·       Decide what platforms you’re going to use to communicate & when you’re going to do it.