The Cost of Always Being Available
I’ve been guilty of this. Someone messages on a Sunday morning or late at night, and it’s “just a quick thing.” A quick email, a quick answer or a quick fix that needs to happen. Then you reply because it feels easy in the moment.
The worst thing is that it’s easy because you’re already on your phone or you just want to get it done, so you’re not thinking about it when you go to bed. There was a point where I actually got positive feedback from a client, saying how good it was that I responded late at night and got things done straight away.
And you read that and think… that’s not actually a good thing. It sounds like good service. But what you’re really doing is setting a standard that you probably don’t want to keep.
This comes up a lot when people talk about starting a business because a lot of people are chasing the freedom of flexible hours, working when they want and being in control. Technically, it’s true that you can work when you want, but if your income depends on your time, it doesn’t take long before that freedom disappears. You’re answering messages, solving problems, and being available whenever someone needs you.
It turns into working all the time, just on your own terms.
The Impact on Your Employees
It’s not just an issue that shows up with clients. It shows up with your team. You get a message early in the morning saying “we’ve run out of almond milk”, and suddenly you’re pulled into something that someone else could have handled, but they didn’t.
Usually, that’s not their fault because at some point, they’ve learned to come to you for the answer. If you’re always available, people will keep using you that way. That’s the trade-off a lot of business owners don’t expect. It’s not because they’re trying to take advantage, it’s because that’s what you’ve shown them to do.
It’s Personal
I understand that there is a layer of guilt in this. If it’s your business, it’s personal.
You feel responsible for every little action, delay and response, and so you don’t want to drop the ball. You don’t want to miss an opportunity that is in front of you, and then there’s always that underlying thought of “what if the work stops?”
So then you stay available even when you shouldn’t. The cost of doing that doesn’t just show up the first time to respond at 9 pm. It builds as more and more messages slip through, more interruptions and less separation between work and everything else. Eventually, that’s going to stress you out or lead to burnout.
What’s interesting, though, is that a lot of successful businesses did go through a phase of answering the phone anytime, overdelivering and doing more than expected, and it worked, BUT THEY DIDN’T KEEP DOING IT FOREVER.
You Need to Learn When to Stop
There’s a difference between what you do at the start and what you allow to continue long-term. Early on, being responsive can help you build momentum because you don’t get a second chance at a first impression. However, if you turn that into the standard, it becomes very hard to step back from.
At some point, you need to decide what your boundaries are. It doesn’t need to be rigid and impersonal; it just needs to be a way that works for you.
Figure out these:
What do you respond to, and when?
What do you expect your team to handle?
What do you say no to?
Because if you don’t make that decision, it gets made for you.
Teaching People How to Treat You
You’re teaching people how to treat you. If you reply instantly, people expect instant replies.
If you’re always available, people assume you always will be.
So the question isn’t whether being available is good or bad, it’s whether it’s sustainable. If it’s working for you, that’s fine, but if it’s starting to affect your time, your stress levels, or how you feel about the business, something probably needs to change.
How to Reset It
Start small. Set a realistic response window and stick to it. That might be same-day, it might be 24 hours. Whatever it might be, it just needs to be consistent. Then give your team space to make decisions without coming to you for everything.
You have to be okay with the fact that not every message needs an immediate response. Unfortunately, some people might not like it, but the alternative is burning yourself out trying to be everything to everyone.
At the end of the day, there’s a time to push hard (especially early on), but there’s also a point where you need to protect your time. If you don’t, the business you built for freedom can very quickly start taking it away.
If you’re struggling with boundaries, give yourself 34 minutes to listen to this podcast episode. It will do you the world of good.
