Article: Tell your boss and your colleagues about your normal working hours and reinforce these hours by sticking to them. In addition, be honest about how long a project might take you to complete. Do not promise to finish a task sooner than you are able to do it. It can also help to tell your boss about some of your general responsibilities at home, so there is an understanding that you have other responsibilities to fulfill outside of work hours. If you determine your working hours, try telling people your hours and sticking to them. For example, if you work a nine-hour day, tell people you work from 8AM to 5PM and stick to those hours. If there is an expectation of availability during non-work hours, communicate the precise hours during which you are available to talk on the phone or chat online. Stick to those hours and keep the rest of the time to yourself. Tell your boss about your commitments. You could say, "I volunteer with the food bank on Thursday evenings, so I can't work late that night. And I have basketball games right after work on Tuesdays, so I can't take any extra work on Tuesdays either." If you are single or childless, you are at even greater risk of overwork since many employers may think that you won't have anything to do outside of work. In this case, you need to clearly communicate your need for balance, which is key to maintaining physical and mental health. Once you have communicated your working hours and boundaries, you should stick to them. If you are scheduled to work until 5PM, you should leave at 5PM. Avoid being coerced into any workplace games such as staying at work just to avoid being the first one to leave or staying as late as possible to show your high commitment. Increasingly, employers are beginning to understand that a culture of overwork actually decreases productivity so it is healthy and productive to establish firm boundaries. You might want to set an alarm that goes off about ten minutes before you can leave. This will let you wrap up any work and start packing to leave on time. Avoid making exceptions to this rule. If you enforce that you will only work until 5PM but you start working more and more until 6PM, then your boss and coworkers will think that your boundaries are flexible. Rather than waiting until your next workplace evaluation or another date, tell your boss about any boundary violations as soon as possible. Otherwise, the event may not hold the same significance and you may not be taken seriously. If you were coerced into working late on a weeknight despite having established firm evening work boundaries, you should talk to your boss about it soon afterwards. You might say, "I know we had to meet that deadline but I take my parenting responsibilities seriously and I can't afford to miss another weeknight dinner. It would be great if we could finish projects during working hours next time around." " It can be hard to turn down a new project but sometimes this is necessary to maintain balance between work and personal life. If you already have a sufficient number of projects on the go to keep you busy and financially stable, you should learn to say "no" to new projects that will only add stress to your already busy work schedule. It is important to schedule a day for rest. Every week, you should have at least one day when you do not answer work emails, phone calls, or schedule any meetings. If possible, avoid engaging with workplace technologies such as computers or doing work online, since this could tempt you into answering a work email. Don't feel nervous or ashamed to use your vacation time. Vacations help restore energy and improve productivity when you return to work. By scheduling regular time for self-care such as a yoga class or a walk in the park, you can replenish your energy and maintain a sense of wellbeing. Prioritize the time you devote to self-care and maintain your commitments in this sphere of life, even if it means leaving work at a certain time or not answering email for a few hours or until the next day. Try a new yoga class. Look into new classes at your yoga studio and make time to try something new. You will feel better and get to enjoy time away from work for a few hours. Yoga can help you manage stress and improve flexibility. Schedule a massage appointment. If you are feeling stressed out from work, you should schedule an appointment for a massage so that you can physically recover from workplace stress. Massage can reduce anxiety and stress, as well as treat problems like headaches. It can be tempting to say "yes" to overtime, especially if there is more money involved. However, remember that every extra hour you work overtime is time away from your personal life and family. If you do work overtime, try to limit your hours so you can maintain some semblance of work-life balance.

What is a summary?
Communicate your working hours and time limits. Leave the office at a regular time. Address boundary violations immediately. Learn to say "no. Schedule a regular day off. Prioritize time for self-care. Avoid excessive overtime hours.