If you’re like me, you love what you do and sometimes you don’t pay attention to how much time you are truly spending on your business.  Today let’s talk about setting boundaries to honor your time! 

This was me years ago. I would be attached to my computer so that I could respond to emails/comments all hours of the day simply because I thought that I always had to be ‘On’  in order to be productive.  Keep reading to dive into setting boundaries to honor your time. 

As your business grows so will the demands of your boundaries. 

When you have boundaries in place you are honoring the time you spend in your work hours to give it your all. Your family knows what to expect from you and you aren’t spending every waking hour working. As business owners, we are creating time freedom for ourselves and our families but if we are always working, why are we doing this business in the first place? I know that thinking may not apply to everyone, but I know it applies to a lot of people. Put boundaries in place and stick to them. 

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A question I get asked a lot is, “What is the number one thing that has made your business successful?” and the answer is always the same, boundaries. 

I talk about boundaries a lot because they’ve not only saved my business, they’ve actually helped it grow. And so I decided that I needed to start setting boundaries, but in baby steps, because I was still afraid to “let go” of what I thought was control, but later realized was a scarcity mindset. The truth is, boundaries are hard to set at first, just like with any new habit. But, once you put them in place AND abide by what you’ve set,  they truly will save your business. Seriously. 

When you are constantly connected to your device and always available for people to contact you, you have now put yourself in a box. A tiny prison, if you will. Once people get used to being able to contact you at all hours of the day and you immediately respond, you are training their minds for what to expect from you. Ask yourself what it would look like if you were on vacation constantly checking your emails, or not able to fully engage in your child’s sporting match because you were responding to someone without a true emergency. For me, this isn’t freedom and I know that you aren’t working for yourself to be boxed in. 

Boundaries are one of the easiest things that you can set up in your business whether you are just starting out or have been doing business for years.

1. Create work hours. Mine are M-F 9 am-4:30 pm. My team knows this and on the rare occasion that I need to work outside of those hours, they also know why. When I get a message outside of those working hours, I feel good not worrying about answering it until the next business day and my team doesn’t expect an answer from me either.

 

• Set expectations. Once you have set your business hours, let your customers and the people that work with you know them. Be clear on what they look like and ask them to honor both your boundaries and their own.

 

 

• Make good use of your time. You’ve set your hours and told everyone what they are. Now, it’s time to make the best use of your time. Since you know exactly how many hours you have in the day, you can now fill it with the things that are more important and then “close the office door” when it’s quitting time. 

 

These 3 simple steps will help you be more productive in your business and allow you to continue to love the work you do. There will be the occasional times that you might need to work late to meet a deadline and that’s ok, just try not to make it a habit.

If you simply set a schedule and create boundaries for yourself and your business,  you will already be 10 steps ahead of other business owners out there. Make the most out of your days and honor the limited time you have by simply setting boundaries for yourself and sticking to them! 

FOR EVEN MORE CONTENT ON BUILDING A BUSINESS WITH THE SKILLS AND HOURS YOU ALREADY HAVE, BE SURE TO CHECK OUT:

The Profit Plan for everything you need to start earning consistent income!

The Business Starter Kit for getting your business off the ground and out into the world!

Join me behind the scenes as a close friend on Instagram @thedirectdish where I’ll be sharing exclusive content every week about growing your business while taking care of your own wellness.