TIL that saying no to after-hours emails actually keeps clients happy

I stopped replying to work messages past 6 PM. Clients started sending clearer requests during the day, and my response quality improved. It goes against the 'always available' advice, but it cut down on miscommunication. My projects run smoother now.

3 comments

3 Comments

paul_sanchez1mo ago

Tried that once and somehow trained my clients to send panicked emails at 3 AM. My brilliant "boundary" just made them think the witching hour was our secret meeting time. Took me six months to untangle that mess.

nancy_nguyen1mo ago

My attempt at off-hours auto-replies once made a client think I was personally available for life advice. They started sending me grocery lists and relationship updates, which felt worse than a work crisis. Sometimes the universe just laughs at our little systems.

the_caleb1mo ago

Grocery lists and relationship updates? That is a whole new level of client confusion I was not ready to hear about. Turning off your work email should not turn you into someone's personal assistant for their errands.