I teach remote workers how to maintain boundaries. This is one thing I get clients to do each day.

• Ali Pruitt suffered burnout working an office job, but found remote work was no instant fix.
• She now makes her living teaching other remote workers how to build a work-life balance. 
• Pruitt shares how she gets clients to use a virtual messaging board to mark the end of the workday.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Ali Pruitt, a 41-year-old remote-work coach from Florida, who's now based in Ajijic, Mexico. It has been edited for length and clarity.

I experienced extreme burnout when I worked in an office. I used to think it was because I hated commuting and was working for too long.