Are Boundaries the Secret to More Creativity, Innovation, and Fulfillment?
What kind of boundaries are you setting? How can you use limits and constraints to make the most of your days? To be more creative and innovative? To show up as your best self and to feel more fulfilled? Let's take a closer look at how to set boundaries right.
Have you ever noticed how a time constraint—such as a short deadline—acts as an effective kick in the pants to get things done, often in record time? How all of the sudden the focus-inducing neurochemicals of stress kick in and the job gets completed? As if by magic.
What better illustration of the power of setting the right boundaries. In my coaching practice, I take a comprehensive view of setting limits, looking at all types of constraints as potential liberators, tools we should never, ever overlook because of concerns over propriety or beliefs about impossibility. Limits are tools we can use to be more creative, to have better relationships, and so much more.
Why Are Boundaries Important?
Under the right circumstances, boundaries are a secret ingredient with all kinds of unexpected positive effects. They are oh so useful for squeezing every little bit of juicy flavor from life.
It's like in yoga, which uses binds—postures in which you link your hands and twist to constrict the body into a particular shape—to create more space in a movement and build flexibility of both body and mind.
We saw that a short deadline is a fine example of the power of setting limits—in this case a time boundary. Setting limits gives us superpowers. More time is not necessarily better. Less can, in fact, serve to boost energy in work, to conquer overwhelm, to turbocharge productivity. The trick is to set that time boundary strategically to hit a skills/challenge balance that sparks flow. Too much time, we are not motivated. Too little with too much to do, we are overwhelmed and anxiety kills our creativity.
There are other kinds of boundaries. In literature, for example, there's an entire writing movement called Oulipi based on using constraints to inspire creativity. A famous example is George Perec's novel La disparition, translated into English by Gilbert Adair and published under the title A Void. It's 300 pages written without the letter "e"!
Make the jump with me: Similarly, clearly defining limits in our relationships with others can help us to feel less resentment and also more creativity and fulfillment.
How To Set Boundaries
A comprehensive review of management research reveals that constraints can both foster and inhibit innovation in organizations, teams and individuals. In other words, it's not only about saying no. It's about the right balance between yes and no. "Constraining the creative process too much backfires after a threshold...the formula to unlocking the creative and innovation potential of employees, teams, and firms is applying the right amount of constraints."
This principle of balanced boundaries applies to all types of boundaries. How do we know what the right amount is? Through experimentation. We all have different needs for healthy interactions with the world, the work, and the people around us. We can, however, keep in mind that constraints impact three distinct underlying mechanisms: motivation, cognition and social interactions.
And while daring to use boundaries to nourish our creativity, work and relationships, it helps to always remember to communicate with others involved. With other people and in organizations, boundaries are a two-way, negotiable art form.
Secrets To Setting Healthy Boundaries
Here is a short list of ways to think about boundaries.
There are boundaries you set for yourself and boundaries you set that concern others—think about communicating them well.
Boundaries can be positively or negatively defined—what you will do, what you won't do.
They can be physical (respect this space), emotional (respect this feeling), intellectual (respect this thought).
They can be related to time or to material, to input, to process or to output.
Here's a short list of kinds of boundaries to consider.
Time boundaries. We've already talked about time boundaries in the form of deadlines—shortening the time you give to a task can boost productivity.
Time-for-work boundaries. Another useful time boundary that contributes to both health and well-being, as well as to productivity, consists of putting clear and consistent time limits on your work, what Brian Johnson of Heroic calls morning and evening bookends. A clear start to a workday and a clear stop. In his book Deep Work, Cal Newport tells us: “When you work, work hard. When you’re done, be done.”
Work boundaries. People will take as much as you are willing to give. We set work boundaries by setting priorities. What exactly do I need to do to add the most value? Where do I stop? What exactly is my job? What needs to happen now? Getting clear about work boundaries helps with overwhelm. It means saying no. It means restraining people-pleasing tendencies. It comes from knowing where you add the most value.
Relationship boundaries. Whether you choose not to see certain people who drain your energy, or you name clearly the kind of relationship you want to have, setting clear boundaries in relationships can feed relationships positively because they allow each individual to be, well, individual. Psychologist Dr. Tara Quinn-Cirillo. “As human beings we have our own thoughts, memories, and lived experiences, and sometimes that can become very blurred with someone else’s. Boundaries are healthy for helping you identify and keep that space.”
Organizational boundaries. Setting an example of clear boundaries is direly needed in organizations. Leaders can bring benefit to their entire organization by setting clear boundaries, holding them consistently, and modeling a balanced workplace culture where it is safe to set boundaries.
Boundaries In a Nutshell
Boundaries are essential to having healthy relationships with work, with creativity, and with other people.
Boundaries can unlock superpowers.
Finding the right balance of boundaries comes with experimentation.
Communicate boundaries clearly. Never assume another person knows what yours are.
What To Remember About Boundaries
There is a clear distinction between bright and fuzzy boundaries. Brian Johnson writes about willpower: "Lawyers like to say that a contract is a good one when there are “bright lines”—when it’s super obvious what everyone is agreeing to. Fuzzy lines? Not so good. We want super crisp, obvious, BRIGHT lines."
Bright lines are particularly useful in the boundaries you set for yourself when it comes to daily disciplines. A 100% commitment—non-negotiable, all in—beats 99%. In The Success Principles, Jack Canfield writes about how how wriggle room opens the door to all kinds of energy spent on negotiating with yourself.
That said, there is a difference between soft and hard boundaries. Neither is always right. Malleability when it comes to our limits, and how they are enforcement and when they are implemented, impacts that notion of the "right amount of constraints"—the boundary balance—we are looking for. Sometimes that hard stop at the end of the day can be a little softer. It's called adapting to the circumstances. The best boundaries are firm and flexible. In the right circumstances.