---
title: "How I Define My Boundaries to Prevent Burnout"
description: "The post describes how an intense, single-tasking software leader developed a sustainable way to divide work, family, and recovery time. After 100-hour startup weeks caused scattered thinking, dulled analytical ability, wrist problems, and an inability to type, the author found that a focused 60-hour, 9-to-9 schedule delivered 80 to 90% productivity compared with 100 hours, then shifted to a 9-to-6 model in 2009. The approach separates concentrated work from non-work, schedules blocks for writing, planning, reviewing, and thinking, and uses email and Slack response patterns to communicate boundaries and expectations. It lets lower-priority tasks fall away instead of extending work indefinitely into personal hours. The author says this structure supports recovery, family presence, and prioritization, while emphasizing that each person should experiment with a sustainable model rather than treat nine-to-six as universal."
---

# How I Define My Boundaries to Prevent Burnout

[Shopify](https://yomu.fyi/company/shopify) · 2023-10-18 · May 6, 2021

**Type:** Explainer

## Summary

The post describes how an intense, single-tasking software leader developed a sustainable way to divide work, family, and recovery time. After 100-hour startup weeks caused scattered thinking, dulled analytical ability, wrist problems, and an inability to type, the author found that a focused 60-hour, 9-to-9 schedule delivered 80 to 90% productivity compared with 100 hours, then shifted to a 9-to-6 model in 2009. The approach separates concentrated work from non-work, schedules blocks for writing, planning, reviewing, and thinking, and uses email and Slack response patterns to communicate boundaries and expectations. It lets lower-priority tasks fall away instead of extending work indefinitely into personal hours. The author says this structure supports recovery, family presence, and prioritization, while emphasizing that each person should experiment with a sustainable model rather than treat nine-to-six as universal.

## Context

The author describes difficulty sustaining intense focus across work, family, and personal commitments. Early 100-hour startup weeks produced mental and physical warning signs of near burnout, while work’s endless demands made it difficult to protect recovery and non-work time.

## Approach / What changed

The author separates work and non-work into distinct periods, currently using a 9-to-6 workday with a lunch break. Work hours are reserved for high-priority tasks and scheduled blocks for writing, planning, reviewing, and thinking, while communication patterns set expectations for delayed or batched responses. Non-work periods are protected for recovery, family, and personal activities.

## Takeaways

- A 60-hour, 9-to-9 Monday-to-Friday schedule produced 80 to 90% productivity compared with 100 hours while concentrating effort on higher-priority tasks and preserving larger periods of non-work time.
- The author protects focus by scheduling blocks for writing, planning, reviews, and thinking instead of processing work only in arrival order or allowing the calendar to control every hour.
- Defined work hours force prioritization: lower-priority tasks can fall away, while communication, delegation, stakeholder connections, or asynchronous collaboration can address work that remains important to others.

**Tags:** [Remote Work](https://yomu.fyi/topic/remote-work)

- Source: [Shopify](https://shopify.engineering/define-boundaries-prevent-burnout)
- Source URL: https://shopify.engineering/define-boundaries-prevent-burnout
- Ingested by Yomu: 2026-08-31T01:09:39.807Z

[Read original post](https://shopify.engineering/define-boundaries-prevent-burnout)