Grace Over Guilt: 12 Questions to Help You Keep Boundaries in Business
When I started my copywriting and brand storytelling business, I wasn’t great at setting or maintaining boundaries. I’d let people book meetings with me at any time during the week and I’d find myself working on tasks that weren’t initially part of our agreement. But over time, I learned the importance of guarding my calendar, making sure that everyone stuck to the outlined scope of work – and that my communication methods were clearly understood.
These days, any meetings on my calendar can only be on Tuesday-Thursday between the hours of 11-5. Why? Because I need my mornings to focus on my best writing and strategy work. And let’s be real, who likes Monday meetings anyway? As for Fridays, I like to reserve those for working on my marketing content and admin tasks for my business, online magazine, and personal brand.
Entrepreneurship can be challenging, but it’s even more difficult without healthy boundaries. Trust in God’s plan for your business and prioritize your well-being along the way.
Now, setting boundaries isn’t always easy, especially when it comes to guilt. And if you’re a people-pleaser, it’s natural to feel guilty when saying no or setting boundaries. However, it’s important to let go of those feelings and remember that you’re not being selfish, you’re prioritizing your own needs. This is exactly why I want to help you get through this with these questions. I’d highly recommend grabbing a notebook to journal out the answers.
Inviting the Holy Spirit your boundary-setting process
- What does it mean for you to invite the Holy Spirit into your work as an entrepreneur?
- How do you currently incorporate prayer and discernment into your business decisions?
- In what ways do you feel the Holy Spirit has already guided you in your business, and how can you lean on that guidance in your boundary-setting process?
- What specific boundaries do you need to set right now, and how can you ask the Holy Spirit to help you discern what those boundaries should be?
Letting go of guilt
- Have you ever received pushback from clients or team members when setting boundaries in your business?
- What specific boundaries did you set that made you feel guilty, and why?
- How did those guilty feelings impact your sense of self-worth, and what truths from the Bible can you draw on to counteract those feelings?
- What steps can you take to let go of guilt when setting boundaries in the future?
Prioritizing rest in your business
- What does rest look like for you, and how can you include more rest into your daily and weekly routines?
- What specific boundaries do you need to set to prioritize rest, such as scheduling regular days off or setting boundaries around work hours?
- What tasks or responsibilities can you delegate or outsource to make more time for rest?
- How can you communicate your boundaries around rest to your clients or team members, and how can you reinforce those boundaries when they’re challenged?
Don’t let the fear of disappointing others keep you from setting boundaries in your business. Your time and energy are precious, and you deserve to use them in ways that bring you joy and fulfillment!
Hopefully, these questions are helpful for you to reflect on. And listen, please note that you’re having boundaries isn’t a sign of weakness, but rather a sign of strength and self-care. Also, remember that it’s not a one-time event.
Setting and maintaining boundaries takes practice, patience, and self-awareness to establish and maintain healthy boundaries in your business. And get this? When you prioritize your own well-being, you’ll be better equipped to serve others and make an impact with the gifts God has given you.
