Why Flexible Working Doesn’t Mean Being Available 24/7
As a new, up-and-coming freelancer and/or business owner, it can be easy to fall into the habit of being overly available. I’ve observed that there are differing views when it comes to how available you should be when starting and trying to grow a business.
Some people side with being available pretty much 24/7 and having no fixed boundaries in the form of working days/hours. I understand this can be motivated by different circumstances and business goals, and for some people… this works.
I personally prefer having set days (at a minimum) which are dedicated to my business and freelance work. My biggest non-negotiable boundary is that I will not work on Sundays, because even God rested! 😂
I believe that it is very important to have at least one day in the week where you can switch off from your work/business responsibilities, rest and recharge.
On Sundays, my phone is set to limit access to apps like WhatsApp Business, Gmail and LinkedIn. I also have Downtime scheduled on my phone for most days from around 10pm, so that I can start winding down from my day and get good quality rest.
(Don’t get me wrong, some days I do check these apps on Sundays or use my phone past 10pm, but having these systems in place means that I’m much less likely to)
Why do I have all these measures? Because I don’t want to burn out from doing what I love.
I never want this to feel like a burden or like it’s taking over my personal life, and I don’t want this to prevent me from having that work/life balance that I started all of this for!
Also, this means there is a set window in the day to focus on work. Again, personally, I’m one of those people who, if I give myself the whole day to do something as opposed to a fixed chunk of time in the day, it will take me the whole day! Time-blocking in my calendar is my absolute number one time management and productivity key. I spoke about this a bit in my post How I Stop Letting Emails Control My Day.
“But how do you manage client expectations?” I hear you say. By communicating your boundaries and availability in advance. When I sign on a client, I put specific days and sometimes working hours into our contract. For clients who I work more flexibly with, I keep them up to date with my upcoming availability and let them know in advance of any upcoming time off I have scheduled.
Once you’ve communicated those boundaries, it’s then up to you to hold those boundaries. And if things change or something comes up, explain this in a clear and compassionate way, because sudden change can be inconvenient for those who are relying on you and your support.
In all things and business decisions, it’s important to remember your “why”. It helps to ensure that you are making choices and decisions that align with your goals and values.
I encourage you to identify and write down your why, your purpose, your motivation for doing what you do, and see if the way you are doing things within your business aligns with that.
I want to hear from you:
How do you practically manage client expectations?
What boundaries have helped you to not burn out at work?