Never let your clients know you work weekends
Working weekends is often required as a small business owner. I pretty much worked all weekend. I took a few hours off to do laundry and grocery shop. Sometimes you have to do what you have to do to make it all work.
But I have learned over time to make sure I don’t let my clients think I’m available 24/7. Working on my own time on the weekend is different than having open hours for anyone.
Three ways you can set weekend boundaries
- Post hours on your website: Hours: M-F 9-5; Closed on weekends/holidays
- In your email signature, mention your hours (hours: Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, closed: Sat-Sun)
- Each weekend, set an email autoresponder. Here’s mine as an example:
Thank you for your email. Just letting you know I am out of the office each weekend from 5pm on Friday until 9am on Monday.
If you are having a site emergency and can’t reach out to your hosting company on your own, please feel free to call or text me.
Have a great weekend and thanks for reaching out. I will get back to you when I return to the office next week.
When you don’t set boundaries you are leaving your schedule up to someone else. And there are always people that will take advantage of that opening. Occasionally, you’ll need make acceptations, but sticking to this rule will give you the feeling of working on your own terms.
How do you set boundaries with you clients on weekends?
RESOURCES: FLYWHEEL: 6 tips for setting professional boundaries with clients
