Last night, my phone rang.
Quarter to nine. Then again at five to nine. Same random number.
And I just sat there thinking — who calls a small business owner at this time of night?
It wasn’t an emergency, I’m sure. Probably someone who’d seen BRANDeez online and wanted a quote or had a quick question. But it got me thinking again about boundaries — how easily work sneaks its way into home time, especially when you work from home.
Remembering the burnout years
There was a time, early in my design journey, when I worked ridiculous hours. We’re talking 18-hour days, months at a stretch — wake up, coffee, PC, quick lunch, PC again, sleep, repeat. No downtime. No space to breathe.
I thought that was what success looked like — that if I just pushed hard enough, I’d “make it.” But what actually happened is I started resenting the very thing I loved doing. That was the beginning of my obsession with balance, and with protecting my time outside of work.
Availability isn’t the same as accessibility
Running a small business, especially one that’s starting to grow, can make you feel like you have to be available all the time. Calls, emails, WhatsApps — it never ends. But there’s a difference between being available and being accessible 24/7.
It’s okay to have working hours. In fact, it’s essential. You get to decide when you’re reachable, not the other way around.
That said, flexibility is part of real life. There are times when you’ve got a big project, a looming deadline, or you’re just on a roll creatively. My wife knows those moments well — she’ll say, “Don’t worry about dinner, just finish what you’re busy with.” And I’ll push through. But that’s the exception, not the rule.
The danger is when the exception becomes the norm.
Protecting your time (and your sanity)
A few simple things that make a huge difference:
Set business hours — and actually honour them. Let clients know when you’re available, and be consistent.
Let calls go to voicemail after hours. If it’s important, they’ll leave a message.
If it’s a client you know, call them back the next morning to check what they needed.
If it’s a number you don’t recognise and they don’t leave a message, it’s probably not worth calling back. Between spam and scams these days, it’s just not worth the risk.
Keep work and home life separate, even if you work from home. Shut your laptop, walk away, and mentally clock off.
Communicate deadlines clearly. It avoids the “urgent at 8 PM” situations entirely.
The bottom line
Your business matters — but so do you.
You don’t need to answer every call or message to be professional. You just need to be clear, consistent, and reliable within your chosen hours.
Because at the end of the day, your peace of mind is part of your business too.