You Need Boundaries: Protection from Extension Burnout
Early Career Development
Kati Lawson
Sebring
Abstract
The most valuable resource an Extension agent has is his or her time; however, the many demands on agents' time can lead to feelings of overwhelm, underutilization, and can ultimately lead to burnout. It is important to learn how to protect time and set firm boundaries with coworkers, family members, clients, volunteers, leaders, and stakeholders. Setting boundaries and enforcing those boundaries can help agents prioritize workloads and spend thier most valued resource doing the work that matters most to them. As a County Extension Director, I give this presentation to new agents upon hire and to all agents in my office as a yearly reminder of how to implement and maintain boundaries. This presentation focuses on how to set boundaries, why boundaries are important, how to identify where boundaries are needed, and goes through scenarios that often occur in Extension so audience members can practice boundary setting. Preventing burnout starts with the agent, and this presentation will teach agents how to take control of thier time and say no to activities, events, and time zappers that can cause stress, feelings of inadequacy, and lowered productivity.
Authors: Kati Lawson
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Kati Lawson County Extension Director, 4-H Agent II , University of Florida , Florida, 33875