Having my work emails, Slack, and Skype all linked to my phone has its perks, no doubt about it. The flexibility it offers is fantastic, especially when it comes to picking up my son from school. While walking there, I can keep an eye on notifications and send quick messages, which eases some of that mum guilt (although I know I never stick to a rigid 9-5 schedule).

However, this week is different; I decided to take two days of much-needed annual leave. Yet, my phone keeps buzzing with notifications. There’s probably a way to pause them all, but for just two days, I thought, “Why bother?” Oddly enough, there’s something kind of comforting about knowing I can check if I want to. Nonetheless, I’ve managed to resist the temptation so far, but deep down, I realise it’s absurd that I even had to make a conscious decision not to look. Perhaps if I didn’t have the option, my overloaded brain would thank me for it.

I can’t help but wonder if we could make it easier for ourselves sometimes. Lately, I’ve been feeling a bit of a burnout creeping in. It’s a hot topic in HR. Reflecting on this now, I recognise there are steps I can personally take to ease the pressure I feel. My workload has been overwhelming and I definitely feel I’m losing my sparkle. It’s become apparent that I need to set boundaries and maybe not always having my work life at my fingertips might be a good thing.

What is your situation? Are you strict with your time? Do you already have boundaries in place? Let us know in our Facebook or LinkedIn Group.