Even with perfect “disposal,” it also helps to generate less trash in the first place. That’s where boundaries come in: limiting after-hours work messages, declining commitments that don’t match priorities, and building buffers between tasks. These choices reduce the inflow of stressors so the system stays manageable.
Importantly, boundaries can feel uncomfortable at first, especially in cultures that equate availability with value. Yet, just as a household changes when it buys less clutter, a life changes when it stops automatically accepting every demand. Pace’s metaphor gently argues that prevention and cleanup must work together. [...]
