Kathleen Ameche: Hi! I am Kathy Ameche and I am discussing how to balance work and family life. Now, I am going to talk about how to set boundaries. If you don't find a way to set boundaries, your life will spill out on the floor like an overloaded purse, and you won't be able to find anything in it. Number one, this is about survival, get enough sleep. If you don't, things begin to seem impossible and you will make mistakes, take longer to accomplish tasks and generally sabotage yourself. Sometimes this is easier said than done, but you don't want to find yourself asleep on your feet while dancing as fast as you can every which way. It will blow up on you in the end. In addition to getting regular sleep, we as women need to set time and space boundaries. If you don't establish these upfront, especially at work, you are going to be known as the person who is always available. An example of a time boundary can be, I won't work from 7-9 P.

M, because that is my time with my family or spouse or even my favorite TV show. Honor it, keep it, it will keep you sane. At work, a time boundary maybe learning to say no by saying yes to the things you can and like to do. Let's say you are working on a key report for one of your favorite clients, which by the way is on a deadline, and another one calls and asks you to come over to his office for an impromptu meeting. Be realistic with yourself and others about what you are able to accomplish. Remember, there are only 24 hours in a day. You are only as good as your word. Your reputation can change quickly when you don't deliver because you have agreed to do too many things. This will have a direct impact on your career and your self-esteem. Figure out what you can and can't do, and then tell people regularly what you can do and what you will do, then say no to the rest. Repeat this often and drop the guilt. Celebrate and acknowledge what you do well each day. Celebrate what you have done and acknowledge what you are good at. Before you go to sleep each night, find three to five things that you have completed as well as what you are good at. How often do we have a list of 30 items, we have completed 25 of them and yet all we do is beat ourselves up about the five things we haven't completed. Typically, we will wake up the next morning or in the middle of the night thinking of those five items. Turn it around and start thinking of the positive. So that's how can set boundaries. Up next, I am going to talk about how to recognize the things you can and can't control in your life.