Tag Archives: boundaries

Day 3194 – New Boundaries – or – Time Management Tips

Posted on by
Reply

I am constantly trying to better myself and make my life more efficient. I try to pay attention to myself and how different things impact me. One area that I have struggled with is checking my work emails on the weekends and in the evenings……and first thing in the morning. I told myself it was because I was keeping up to date, but truly, I wasn’t going to actually work or do anything about what came through. So checking was distracting me from other things I could be doing – reading, hanging out with Bret, working on our business, or other projects.

Well friends, I had some major growth in this area over the weekend – I didn’t check my work emails AT ALL! From Friday evening at 5 p.m. until now, I haven’t checked my emails. I’m trying to be pretty strict about only doing client work during 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. each weekday. By giving myself work hours, it really does help me turn off work and the need to check. I have so many different things that I’m working on right now that I HAVE to have boundaries. 9-5 during the week is plenty of time to accomplish what I need to do. I did pretty well last week with my work hours, so I’m curious to see how this week goes, now that I’ve established this rule.

I think that creativity and productivity thrive with set rules, systems, and guidelines. (At least mine does)

What about you? What boundaries do you have in place?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Did you like what you read? Here’s some ways you can support us and this blog!
Join our Facebook group, Planning an Epic Road Trip on Any Budget
Join the Journey With The G’s email list (bonus – you get my Epic Road Trip Budget spreadsheet)
Buy my book, Planning an Epic Road Trip on any Budget.
Buy my book, Trusting God With 2 Cents: 22 Days To Becoming A Successful Christian Business Owner.
Shop on Amazon (no additional cost to you, this gives us a percentage of what you order).
Check out our resources page.
Subscribe to our YouTube Channel

Day 3047 – Setting Boundaries And Keeping Them

Posted on by
Reply

I have a whole lot going on in my life. Working for clients, working for Bret, writing my third book, building my online presence, reading 300 books this year (29 to go…what?!), just to name a few. I’m learning that having boundaries in my life is the way to fit everything in. I’ve noticed a few habits that have been making it much harder to meet my goals. I’ve noticed a very unhealthy habit with my phone. From checking work emails WAY too much….I mean, seriously, how much is actually going to happen between 8:30 p.m. and 6 a.m.? I was also playing way too many games. I cut them all off, but I have found I need a few. So I’m up to 2 games. As for checking work emails, I am so freakin’ proud of myself….I didn’t check them at all from about Friday at 5 p.m. until, well, I haven’t checked them yet. I always thought the ideal day would include free time all day to use as I wished, but having structure is so important for my workflow. I still have a long way to go, but it feels great to see results already.

How do you set boundaries in your life?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Did you like what you read? Here’s some ways you can support us and this blog!
Join our Facebook group, Planning an Epic Road Trip on Any Budget
Join the Journey With The G’s email list (bonus – you get my Epic Road Trip Budget spreadsheet)
Buy my book, Planning an Epic Road Trip on any Budget
Buy my book, Trusting God With 2 Cents: 22 Days To Becoming A Successful Christian Business Owner.
Shop on Amazon (no additional cost to you, this gives us a percentage of what you order).
Check out our resources page.
Subscribe to our YouTube Channel

Day 2130 – How Boundaries Have Changed My Life

Posted on by
Reply

“The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance. Psalm 16:6”

I love this verse. Other versions, such as the NIV, say “boundary lines.” When I hear this verse, I don’t think “the rules that trap me from doing what I want.” I hear, “the boundaries that are there protecting me from harm.”

There are dozens of boundaries that Bret and I have establish and have acknowledged that God has placed in our lives. Here are a few that have helped me.

Other men – I am careful to not have private conversations with other men online or in person. I do not initiate them unless I must. I will include the guy’s wife, if I can. Even though I have no desire for anything other than friendship, I draw this line. A little conversation here, a little conversation there….and before I know it, if I’m not careful, a guy who is “just a friend” is becoming a confidant. If a guy messages me, I tell Bret about it. If necessary, I wait to respond to the guy until I can talk to Bret about what to say. You may think, oh, wow, that’s pretty extreme…but my marriage is the second most important thing in my life. I will defend its honor, purity and trust with every ounce of my being. A guy who is put off by my delayed response or even my cold manner is a small price to pay for my marriage. Having this boundary and being honest with Bret about who I talk to and about what has given us a high level of trust.

Phone notifications – I have turned off almost all of the notifications on my phone. I receive phone calls/voicemails, text messages, calendar notifications and my gmail (and this is only because of one of my jobs). There are no Facebook notifications or Twitter notifications or email notifications (my photography email in particular). I’ve read a lot about compartmentalizing my time…so I shut off that “need to be connected” and remind myself that there is nothing so major that can happen that it won’t wait until I check my email or Facebook….if it is, I’ll receive a call or a text. This has allowed me to truly enjoy my free time. I work when I’m “at work” and I enjoy myself when it’s time off.

Weekends – Since Bret started teaching, I have become fiercely against busy weekends. We may have a few commitments on one day, but I try to keep the other day clear. We don’t do much work on the weekends and I feel zero guilt about that. Again, if it’s that important, I’ll get a call or a text. It is incredibly energizing going into my week after a truly restful weekend. (I mean, look at how long this blog post is!)

Listening to sermons – I’ve been listening to sermons online for a while now, but I’m really trying to make them the very first thing I do. I am merely human, so I HAVE to have my cup of coffee before I can do anything worthwhile…even being happy towards my spouse. I’ve gotten great sleep on the floor…but I’ve found that those first few minutes coming from the dream world to the real world are a little harsher than they used to be. Thankfully, Bret is learning this quickly and just this morning, kept calling to me to get up and had a cup of coffee all ready to go. Within just a few minutes, I was all smiles and started my first sermon. It is such a great way to start the day. While I listen, I put together puzzles and can feel my brain loosening up and I am energized. It’s a happy thing to know my greatest need (being reminded of the gospel) is met at the beginning of my day.

Saying no – I have a pretty good idea of all of my boundaries, listed and not listed. I know what will help me stay in those boundaries and what will be unwise to do. The best thing I’ve learned in keeping in my boundaries is to say no. Those two letters hold a lot of power. The power to keep my mind pure, my heart loving Christ, my time to be used for growth and not destruction and a whole host of other things. If you want to see a big change in your life, start to say no.

What about you? How have boundaries helped you?

Here’s a boundary that kept us from falling in a really big hole. 🙂

day_01624b

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Did you like what you read? Here’s some ways you can support us and this blog!
Join our Facebook group, Planning an Epic Road Trip on Any Budget
Join the Journey With The G’s email list (bonus – you get my Epic Road Trip Budget spreadsheet)
Buy my book, Planning an Epic Road Trip on any Budget.
Buy my book, Trusting God With 2 Cents: 22 Days To Becoming A Successful Christian Business Owner.
Shop on Amazon (no additional cost to you, this gives us a percentage of what you order).
Check out our resources page.
Subscribe to our YouTube Channel

Day 1921- How Boundaries = Joy And A Healthy Life

Posted on by
2

We’ve been making a lot of changes in our life recently. I want to say first that we are in no way saying, “how we live is how you should live.” These are different things that God has put on our hearts recently and we’re changing based on that. You need to follow your own convictions and beliefs. All I’m doing is sharing what we have learned and how the changes have changed us, even over a short amount of time.

Ok! The first thing that we’ve been convicted about is nudity in movies and shows. We read an article by John Piper that radically changed how we view nudity. We have decided to cut out all movies and shows that have nudity. It’s been tough to say no to family and friends who want to watch a show or movie with us, but a little discomfort to keep our eyes and hearts pure, is worth the cost. I even went through all of my movies and took out all of the movies with nudity. A sub-change in this category is also removing from my collection and not watching movies that glorify leaving your spouse for someone else. This is something that was NEVER on my radar until I met Bret. I’m a “this is a movie, entertainment, just go with it” movie watcher…well, I guess I can say, I was. Like most women, I do love a good rom-com. One of my favorites was It Could Happen To You (the one where the cop wins the lottery and splits it with a waitress). I watched this with Bret before we were married, a million years ago. About halfway through, he said he couldn’t watch anymore. At first I thought it was just the typical guy hating those types of movies. But he explained that the movie makes the guy’s wife look like a jerk and the whole movie, you’re hoping they get a divorce so the guy can be happy with someone else. It’s soooooo subtle, but it’s true. I’m thankful he made me aware of this. Especially now that I am so passionate about marriages that last.

Another change is our bedtime and waking routine. Bret was having trouble staying asleep all night, so I did a little research on things that could help. As of right now, here’s our routine (as much as we can manage it).
Starting at 8:00 p.m., we stop using all devices, TVs and computers. I read that they emit blue light, which is NOT good before bed, because it “wakes” the brain, much like being outside under the blue sky. We even turn off all lights in our room and use candles only (which emit little to no blue light). We do our evening devotions, read to ourselves and catch up. We enjoy cups of decaf tea. Taking a hot shower before 8 is helpful too. We’ve been blowing out the candles around 9:15/9:30. We also have a strict wake up time every day – 5:45…..that was TOUGH on Saturday (our first day of the new routine)! But! What a change it has made already! The first night, Bret slept through the night (I seriously wanted to make my Facebook status -“My baby slept through the night!”) And, to be honest, I’ve felt more alert in the mornings, even waking up so early. It’s been such a sweet time hanging out with Bret before he leaves for work. It also makes doing the morning devotions easier!

I’m finding the more I learn about God and what He desires from me, cutting things out has been so much easier. Taking movies off my shelf that have been there for years was almost freeing. Now, I’m not saying this with pride at all. The more I learn, the more I’m seeing how utterly sinful and terrible I am. I can agree with Paul when he writes:

“The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.”
1 Timothy 1:15

I am merely a sinner saved by Christ’s blood and overwhelming grace and mercy.

What about you? Are there things you’ve cut out or cut back on that have made a big change in your life?

day_01394

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Did you like what you read? Here’s some ways you can support us and this blog!
Join our Facebook group, Planning an Epic Road Trip on Any Budget
Join the Journey With The G’s email list (bonus – you get my Epic Road Trip Budget spreadsheet)
Buy my book, Planning an Epic Road Trip on any Budget.
Buy my book, Trusting God With 2 Cents: 22 Days To Becoming A Successful Christian Business Owner.
Shop on Amazon (no additional cost to you, this gives us a percentage of what you order).
Check out our resources page.
Subscribe to our YouTube Channel