How to create great work/home boundaries

The MSTTRD framework for better balance between work & home

Author

Matt Barrios
May 27, 2023

Today I’m giving you a special taste of my MSTTRD framework for helping you create great boundaries between home & work.

If you prefer watching or listening, check out this most recent episode of the Homelife for Extraordinary Impact podcast episode on all major podcast platforms and YouTube.

Today’s message is a sample from the WFH Boundaries Workshop. It’s a 1-hour workshop to help you create great boundaries between work & home. Plus it includes a workbook for custom-fitting the content to your life!

Why do work/home boundaries matter?

In a word, balance. You don’t want work to overflow into your home time, and you need to focus at work. Better boundaries between work & home translates to more restoration and connection at home and better flow while working.

How do boundaries help?

If you or someone you know has gone to therapy, then you have definitely heard the term boundaries.

Boundaries separate one thing from another. Sometimes boundaries are firm, sometimes light, and sometimes non-existent.

For example, one firm boundary between work & home would be commuting to an office. Home space and work space are distinct from one another. But this gets complicated for many of us who work remote or have a habit of bringing our work home with us.

The more out of balance your boundaries are, the more intentional & firm your boundaries may need to be to restore the balance.

How would I know if my home & work are out of balance?

Allow me to introduce you to….

The MSTTRD framework!

It’s an acronym for the different areas to consider when forming work/home boundaries.

  • Mind - your thoughts, feelings, and attention

  • Space - your physical environment, such as rooms, desk, or movement through spaces

  • Time - your minutes and hours in a day, including daily, weekly, or monthly rhythms

  • Tech - your experience with technology, such as smartphones, computers, and TV

  • Relationships - the people you connect with, whether you live with them or don’t

  • Delight - cultivating a spirit of enjoyment & play around your work & home

For an exercise to assess your work/home boundaries using the MSTTRD framework, watch or listen to the latest episode of the HFEI podcast. In that episode, I walk you through the same assessment I use in the workshop.

Here’s what one participant had to say about the workshop:

Until next time,

– Matt Barrios

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