Let’s Talk About Boundaries

Part 1: Client Expectations Around Office Hours

Are you tired of hearing your phone notifications at all hours of the day and night? Do you feel like you never get a break? Like work is constantly interrupting your time off? Let’s talk about boundaries - specifically around your office hours. To sum it up in one sentence:

Stop answering calls and messages outside of office hours.

First you’ll have to decide what your office hours are. This can be whatever works best for you. My official office hours are 9am-3pm on weekdays, so that I can be most available while my kids are at school. That doesn’t mean I only work during those hours, but my clients know that they have a better chance of reaching me during those hours, and that outside those hours I will likely not respond to calls and messages.

Once you decide on your office hours, it’s important to communicate that information to clients and potential clients. State your hours in your outgoing voicemail, and list them online - either on your website, your Google listing, social media, or all of those places. Let your new clients know when onboarding, and put it in your contract!

And last but not least, stick with your decision! People learn how to treat you based on what you allow. If you don’t respond after hours, most clients will get it and respect your time. And if they don’t? They’re probably not the right clients for you.

If you find it hard to ignore notifications after hours, find a strategy for turning those off. Either get a separate phone that you use for work, and silence or turn it off after hours, or set up a do-not-disturb mode that only allows your work apps during work hours.

Hold your boundaries. It protects your time and your business.