The Monitoring Tool that Helps Employees Set Their Own Boundaries

Four months ago, I was that project manager who couldn’t say ‘no’.

Every ping in my inbox used to feel urgent to me. Somehow, I felt every task was my own responsibility. As a result, I was feeling burned out, short-tempered, and sloppy at work.

That’s when I decided to bring in a monitoring tool. I wanted to see where my time was actually going, and how I could set real boundaries without feeling guilty.

Can you guess what the result was? Well, you must give this journey a read.

Always saying ‘yes’ was the culprit for my productivity!

Earlier, I used to think that, as a manager, it’s my duty to do all my team’s work. Even if it takes me to show up if I get a ping outside office hours. I wish I had come to know one of the best employee monitoring tools earlier.

This software is key to understanding one’s working pattern and workflow. You get detailed data into your work systems and analyze them as per your own flow.

The Tool Became the Mirror of My Focus

Once I came to know the platform, I immediately started to use it to refine my own work patterns. The tool started to show me my most focused hour, when I was most dedicated to work, and when I was losing my concentration.

As if it’s a mirror to see myself, both the good side and the bad side. Here’s what data the tool showed me from my one-month work tracking–

• I was mostly focused between 10 AM and 1 PM.
• I was spending nearly two hours a day switching between tasks and tools that could have been done by my team members on their own.
• The last hour of my workday was mostly wasted on checking emails and unnecessary rework.
• Short breaks between long tasks actually helped me maintain energy and creativity.

My First Boundaries

Once I got the data, I then realised it’s time to set some boundaries to get rid of those constant interruptions. Especially during the hours of my focused times.

So, I started avoiding giving feedback on the employees’ work during my focused time. Instead, I gave priority to doing the most complex tasks during those hours.

Besides, since my focus usually dropped near the end of the day, I decided to dedicate that time to lighter activities. For instance, on tasks like replying to emails, reviewing project updates, or planning the next day’s priorities.

At first, it felt strange to work in a different way. But within a week, I noticed how much calmer and more in control my days became. For the first time, I felt like I was managing my energy in the best way possible.

Boundaries Went Viral (In a Good Way)

While seeing the results, I took the initiative to share that success with my team.

At first, I thought they would roll their eyes, saying, ‘another productivity trick from the manager who once replied to messages at 11 PM’.

But as I showed them the charts of how my focus hours lined up with my best outcomes, everyone got curious to find their ones as well. Within months, they started to understand their own focus hours, staying mostly focused on the start of the day, and got one step ahead in managing their day-to-day tasks more efficiently.

As a result, I noticed, when they reply, they bring real feedback to the table. Their replies became more meaningful. Even the entire team felt less interruption from unnecessary messages.

Closure

According to LifeHackMethod, 51% employees spend their time on handling less-important tasks, tasks that rarely add value. One of the major reasons behind this is not knowing their own work pattern and being unable to figure that out.

In our case, the use of employee monitoring tools helped us visualize our work patterns, track data, and adjust accordingly. It helped us improve our team collaboration, enhance our own work systems, and allowed the company to grow together.

So, if you are facing the same, it’s high time to get an employee productivity tool a try and let boundaries help your business bloom!