Why Healthy Boundaries Are the Key to Time Management
Sonja Cronjé
February 19, 2025
Inside the Article:
Introduction
You worked hard for this – years of study, training, exams, and long shifts to build the medical career you once dreamed of. But instead of feeling fulfilled, you often feel exhausted, stretched too thin, maybe even resentful. Your inbox is overflowing, weekends are consumed by an endless to-do list, and your patients need more time than you can give. You’re skipping breaks, staying late, and taking work home just to keep up – yet you still feel like you're drowning in commitments. Personal time has become a rare luxury.
If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Many doctors, especially early-career specialists, find themselves trapped in a cycle of saying yes to extra work, professional commitments, and helping colleagues – because it seems like the only way forward.
Medicine is a high-stakes profession with pressure to prove yourself, build your CV, and avoid letting anyone down. But at what cost?
This constant overextension isn’t just exhausting – it’s a sign of poor boundaries. And without boundaries, burnout is inevitable.
Signs You Might Have Poor Boundaries
You feel guilty when saying no.
You put your personal time aside to meet others’ needs.
You catch yourself checking work emails during family time.
You skip breaks in an attempt to fit in just one more task.
You’re becoming resentful of your workload.
The price of poor boundaries goes beyond burnout – it affects your health, relationships, and overall satisfaction in your career. Boundaries are about sustainability, not about being difficult or disengaged. They allow you to continue practising the work you love while preserving your wellbeing.
What Are Healthy Boundaries?
Healthy boundaries are like the walls of your home – they create structure, protect what matters, and help you decide who and what gets access to your time and energy. Without them, it’s like living in an open field, exposed to every request and demand that comes your way.
Boundaries aren’t about shutting people out; they’re about safeguarding your time, energy, and wellbeing. They help you set clear expectations – both professionally and personally – so you don’t end up saying yes to everything and leaving nothing for yourself.
There are three key types of boundaries doctors need:
Physical Boundaries: Protecting your personal space, rest time, and physical energy reserves.
Emotional Boundaries: Separating your emotions from those of your patients, offering empathy without absorbing their stress.
Time-Based Boundaries: Defining your working hours, protecting personal time, and deciding when to take on additional commitments.
For many doctors, boundaries feel like a luxury rather than a necessity. The pressure to prove yourself and secure opportunities makes it tempting to take on every request, extra shift, or leadership role. But constantly overextending yourself isn’t sustainable – and it doesn’t make you a better doctor.
Healthy boundaries help you thrive, maintain your identity outside of medicine, and sustain meaningful relationships with colleagues and patients.
Why Boundaries Matter for Doctors (and Leaders)
Medicine is demanding. The pressure to balance patient care, research, teaching, leadership roles, and personal development in a highly competitive field can often feel overwhelming. There’s often an unspoken expectation that saying yes to everything is the key to career success: more shifts, more committees, more presentations, more unpaid work.
But without boundaries, this overcommitment inevitably leads to burnout.
The very qualities that make you a great doctor – commitment, drive, and willingness to go the extra mile – also make you vulnerable to overwork. When you don’t protect your time and energy, exhaustion sets in. You become less patient with colleagues, more irritable with loved ones, and struggle to switch off. Your ability to make sound decisions, engage with patients, and find meaning in your work diminishes.
Boundaries don't diminish your commitment; they enhance your ability to give your best.
The Hidden Cost of Saying Yes Too Often
Saying yes often feels automatic. It seems like the responsible thing to do.
‘Yes’ to covering an extra shift.
‘Yes’ to joining another committee.
‘Yes’ to reviewing a colleague’s paper.
‘Yes’ to attending another out-of-hours meeting.
But every time you say yes, you’re saying no to something else!
Every ‘yes’ to an extra shift is a ‘no’ to a full night’s sleep.
Every ‘yes’ to an after-hours meeting is a ‘no’ to dinner with your family.
Every ‘yes’ to another professional commitment is a ‘no’ to the focused work that could advance your career.
The issue isn’t saying yes – it’s doing so without fully understanding the cost.
Your time and energy are finite resources. Boundaries help you say yes to what truly matters, ensuring your wellbeing and career goals are not sacrificed.
Seven Practical Strategies for Setting Healthy Boundaries
Setting boundaries is a skill – one that takes practice, especially in a profession where overcommitment is often seen as a badge of honour. But healthy boundaries don’t make you less dedicated; they make your career sustainable.
Here are some practical ways to set and maintain healthy boundaries.
1. Get Clear on Your Priorities
Knowing what matters most makes it easier to say no. Define your professional and personal priorities and use them as a filter for decisions.
What kind of career do you want? Which aspects of your work bring you the most meaning? What do you need outside of work to stay well and engaged?
For example, if securing a consultant role is your top priority, taking on an extra research project might make sense. But if you're already stretched thin and it comes at the cost of sleep, exercise, or time with loved ones, it may be a no (or a ‘not right now’).
A simple decision-making framework can help:
Immediate Impact: Is this urgent?
Long-Term Value: Does it support my career goals?
Personal Cost: What will I need to sacrifice?
Growth Potential: Will this help me develop?
The "Hell Yes or No" principle is also useful: If a request doesn’t excite you or align with your values, it’s a no. This may feel uncomfortable at first, but it creates space for opportunities that truly matter.
Your time and energy are finite. By setting intentional boundaries, you can prioritise what matters most, maintain a sustainable work-life rhythm, and make meaningful progress in your career.
2. Start Small
Building boundary-setting muscles takes practice, just like developing any new skill. Starting with smaller, less challenging situations lays the groundwork for tackling bigger boundary issues later.
If setting boundaries feels overwhelming, start with just one.
For Example:
Setting limits on after-hours emails, such as not checking work messages after 8pm.
Declining an extra shift when you're already at capacity.
Blocking out protected time for a weekly exercise class or family dinner.
Small steps make boundaries feel more manageable, and each success builds confidence. Think of it as a positive feedback loop: every successful boundary you set makes the next one easier.
If saying no is a challenge for you, download my FREE guide, "7 Strategies for Saying No with Confidence" — packed with practical scripts and techniques you can start using straight away.
3. Communicate Your Boundaries Clearly
A boundary is only as strong as your ability to communicate it.
Many doctors hesitate to set boundaries because they worry about sounding difficult or unhelpful. But clear is kind, unclear is unkind.
For example, instead of saying:
❌ "I’ll try to help if I can." (This leaves the door open for further pressure.)
Try Saying:
✅ "I don’t have capacity for this right now, but I appreciate you thinking of me."
Or, instead of vaguely saying:
❌ "I’d prefer not to take on any more shifts."
Try saying:
✅ "I can’t take extra shifts this month, but I’m happy to reassess my availability next term."
Clear, respectful communication helps others understand – and respect – your boundaries.
Remember: Your boundaries protect your ability to provide excellent patient care. By communicating them clearly, you help others understand and respect your choices.
4. Enforce Your Boundaries
A boundary without enforcement is like a fence with an open gate. If you say you won’t check emails after 8pm but keep replying at midnight, the boundary loses its meaning.
Here are some ideas to help you enforce your boundaries:
Set up automated responses for after-hours emails, explaining your working hours and response timeframes.
Document your decisions to help you stay committed when pressure mounts.
Build a support network of colleagues who understand and respect your boundaries.
Practice scripted responses for common boundary-testing situations.
People will test your boundaries. But every time you uphold them, you reinforce their importance – and build confidence in protecting your time and energy. Stay consistent.
5. Expect Pushback (and Stand Your Ground)
Not everyone will like your boundaries, especially if they’re used to you always saying yes.
Resistance doesn’t mean your boundary is wrong – it simply means people need time to adjust.
If someone challenges your decision, stay calm and firm:
✅ "I know this is different from what I’ve done in the past, but I’ve realised I need to protect my time to ensure I can give my best."
Consistency is key. As you maintain your boundaries, others will adapt, leading to healthier professional relationships. Over time, those who set clear boundaries earn respect by demonstrating self-respect and professionalism.
6. Turn FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) into JOMO (Joy of Missing Out)
Saying no can feel like missing out – on opportunities, career progression, or simply being seen as a 'team player.' But instead of focusing on what you might be missing, shift your focus to what you're gaining.
For example:
Saying no to an extra shift = saying yes to a full night’s sleep and better patient care tomorrow.
Saying no to a last-minute meeting = saying yes to focused time on an important project.
Saying no to weekend work = saying yes to time with friends and family.
Reframing FOMO as JOMO helps you see boundaries not as sacrifices, but as investments in your wellbeing and long-term success.
7. Get Comfortable with Discomfort
Setting boundaries can feel awkward at first, but like any skill, it gets easier with practice.
In time, you’ll realise that protecting your time and energy isn’t just good for you – it helps you show up fully for your patients, colleagues, and the people who matter most.
Remember: The brief discomfort of setting a boundary is nothing compared to the lasting resentment of not having one.
Final Thoughts and A Call to Action
In medicine, putting others first comes naturally. You’re trained to prioritise your patients, colleagues, and team. But if you always put others first, you’ll always come second.
That’s neither sustainable nor necessary.
Setting boundaries isn’t about caring less – it’s about caring enough to protect your ability to keep doing this work well. It means recognising that you can’t be everything to everyone, and that saying no to the things that drain you allows you to say yes to the things that truly matter.
Here’s your challenge: Set one small boundary this week.
Start small. See how it feels.
Your future self will thank you.