
For the longest time, I genuinely believed I couldn’t say no at work. 🙋♀️ If my boss asked, I said yes—because I didn’t want them to think I couldn’t handle it. If a colleague needed help, I said yes because I was flattered they thought of me. And if I was already overwhelmed? I still said yes because I didn’t want to let anyone down. I thought I was being a team player. But most of the time? I ended up over-capacity, working late, and silently resenting everything on my plate. It took me years to realize: You can be collaborative and have boundaries You can be a leader and protect your time You can say “no”—without actually saying the word Here’s how to set boundaries without sounding harsh: “Here’s what’s on my plate right now. What should I deprioritize to take this on?” → Shows you’re maxed out but solution-oriented. “That sounds like a great project. My calendar is full this week. Can we revisit next month?” → A respectful pause, not a hard stop. “I want to give this the attention it deserves, and I can’t do that right now.” → Honest and quality-focused. “I’m at capacity. Would you like me to delegate or recommend someone else?” → A no with leadership energy. The truth? You don’t have to be everything to everyone. You just have to know your limits and protect them. Setting boundaries isn’t selfish—it’s a strategic move. It’s how you maintain quality work and your sanity. Follow me for more workplace communication strategies! 💪 Which boundary phrase are you claiming this week? 👇 #boundaries #workplacecommunication #professionaldevelopment #careergrowth #worklifebalance #leadership
This post was published on 16th September, 2025 by Shivangi on her Instagram handle "@shivangi.shrivastava2 (Shivangi Shrivastava | Corporate Trainer | Career Growth Coach)". Shivangi has total 85.5K followers on Instagram and has a total of 814 post.This post has received 53 Likes which are lower than the average likes that Shivangi gets. Shivangi receives an average engagement rate of 0.07% per post on Instagram. This post has received 18 comments which are greater than the average comments that Shivangi gets. Overall the engagement rate for this post was lower than the average for the profile. #leadership #workplacecommunication #careergrowth #boundaries #worklifebalance #professionaldevelopment has been used frequently in this Post.