A packed calendar. No time for lunch. Dinners at the desk. Working weekends. We joke about this and often wear it like a badge of honor or accept it as the “big tech reality.” I did too.

I quietly assumed that working nights after putting kids to bed to “catch up” on email and using weekends to prepare for the week ahead was just the price to pay to thrive in a career in big tech. I was wrong, and I realized it too late.

Setting boundaries and respecting them starts with learning how to say no and having the confidence to bring up uncomfortable trade-offs when priorities collide.

I’m starting this series on setting boundaries to share what I wish I had learned earlier in my career. In this first part, I cover common behavioral patterns and traps that high performers fall into, which lead to constant stretching and a loss of control over their time.

If this resonates, read on ->