By Ellen Klein
Remote work has created a new kind of flexibility and a different sense of freedom. But it hasn’t necessarily made life any easier for many women. Without the structure of a physical workplace, the line between professional responsibilities and home life doesn’t just blur, it sometimes disappears completely.
Often already burdened by the female tax, the extra mental load caused by a lack of boundaries can push you to breaking point and into burnout territory. The trick is to set digital limits that help you flip the off switch when business hours end, and these ideas can help.
Setting Clear Work Hours (and Sticking to Them)
Working from home doesn’t mean being on call around the clock. You’re being paid to work specific hours, so you need to set clear start and finish times for your workday. Then, make sure your colleagues and clients know about them. You can do this by adding them to your email signature, your online profiles, or any other digital platform you use.
These boundaries help you regain control amidst the hustle culture and show that you can be productive and professional and still protect your time.
Saying No to Unpaid or After-Hours Requests
This is where having clear working hours pays off. But we all know how it goes. It’s the end of the day, and someone wants “just a quick call.” Or there’s a brief that lands on your desk on Friday afternoon, and it’s due on Monday morning. This is when you need to pretend that your computer doesn’t work after hours, because neither should you.
Learning to say no and using your clearly stipulated working hours to back you up is perfectly reasonable. From time to time, a little bit of overtime is fine, but not simply because you’re working remotely, so you must always be available.
Stop Notifications & Switch On Auto-Responses
Working remotely often means constant updates from emails, Slack, and other management tools, each delivering real-time notifications. The never-ending ping of these alerts can be exhausting, and it’s easy to slip into the trap of checking “one more thing” after hours. Turning off notifications outside working hours stops the bombardment and gives you the space to unwind.
Auto-responders take this a step further by signaling your unavailability. Whether it’s an out-of-office reply or a delayed response message, these tools make it clear you’re unplugged—even if you’re just in the next room.
Communicating Availability in Statuses
Communicating your availability through statuses in platforms like Slack or Teams is a simple but highly effective way to manage expectations without repeatedly explaining when you’re available. If you struggle with saying no or have to fight the urge to be a people pleaser, this is a great way to use tech to set boundaries for you in the most non-confrontational way.
Statuses such as “Deep Work,” “Lunch Break,” or “Offline for the Day,” also save you from constantly explaining your availability or trying to juggle spontaneous requests, which can derail your productivity.
Block Off Focus Time
Using digital tools to manage your screen habits might sound strange, but it works. A Pomodoro app, calendar tools, or time trackers make it easier to schedule uninterrupted blocks in your calendar to work without the constant buzz of meetings or DMs.
These tools allow you to set clear boundaries for focused work, ensuring you’re not distracted by the temptation to check emails or respond to instant messages. By creating structured, tech-enabled focus time, you can increase productivity, reduce mental clutter, and give yourself the space needed to do your best work, free from the interruptions that slow you down.
Taking Advantage of Health Tech
When working from home, it’s easy to forget to take care of yourself, especially when juggling work and personal tasks. Digital tools can work for you here, too, by helping you track your physical and mental health.
Apps like Fitbit or Apple Health track your steps and workouts, Sleep Cycle monitors your sleep and helps you get better rest, and devices like Peloton or Mirror offer virtual workouts. The Oura Ring tracks your activity and recovery, ensuring you do both.
Period tracker apps can also be a lifesaver because they’re a simple way to understand your moods, energy levels, and ability to focus. Knowing where you are in your cycle lets you push your productivity and know when to give yourself a little grace and schedule some much-needed downtime.
Use a Separate Work Device or Profile
Digital spillover can add to your already-heavy mental load. You can prevent this by using a different device for work and personal activities or setting up different user profiles. This “digital divorce” separates your work and personal life and stops you from quickly checking that email that landed in your inbox or the flashing message marked as unread.
By creating distinct boundaries between your devices or profiles, you make it easier to mentally shift between work and personal time, allowing for a more intentional and focused approach to both. This separation helps you stay present in the moment and reduces the temptation to blur the lines between work tasks and personal relaxation, giving your brain the much-needed space to recharge.
Creating Tech-Free Zones at Home
Stop taking your work to bed with you—literally and figuratively. Creating tech-free zones in your home makes it much easier to prevent digital fatigue and preserve spaces for rest, relaxation, and connection. When work stays in the office or designated workspace, it’s easier to mentally switch off at the end of the day and truly disconnect.
This is especially important for women juggling multiple responsibilities and often find it hard to “leave work behind” once the day ends. By establishing boundaries around tech use, you reclaim the spaces meant for winding down and ensure that personal time is respected.
Quit The Cognitive Overload
Research shows that 80% of women say the ability to work remotely is one of the top factors they look for when seeking employment, but let’s be real—it’s not always a walk in the park.
The not-so-secret secret? Mastering the art of setting clear parameters that separate work from life. When you draw those lines, you protect your time and take back control.
Ellen Klein is a versatile editor who brings a unique perspective to her work, with a focus on financial management, family and relationships, and health-related topics. With a realist approach, she believes in the power of planning for life’s unknowns, bringing her extensive experience to bear on business, family, and relationship advice. When Ellen isn’t editing, she can be found volunteering for social causes close to her heart, or indulging her passion for writing at her keyboard.
