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The year I stopped answering emails at 2am when I was sick

Back in 2018 I used to drag my laptop to bed with a fever and reply to clients at weird hours because I thought that's what a solo worker had to do. After a few years of that I realized nobody even noticed or cared - they just expected the same next-day turnaround whether I replied at 2am or 9am. Has anyone else dropped the midnight hustle once they noticed it didn't change anything?
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3 Comments
the_hayden
the_hayden13d ago
My buddy Mike started his own landscaping business a few years back and he does the exact same thing you described. Replies to client texts at like 11pm and works weekends. But I've seen his books and the people who email at midnight are the same ones who complain about his prices being too high. I actually think there's something to be said for setting boundaries early on. When you reply at 2am you train people to expect you to be available at 2am. If you wait until morning they just learn that's when you work.
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alext52
alext5215d ago
Yeah that part about them expecting the same turnaround whether you replied at 2am or 9am really hit me. I used to think burning the midnight oil showed dedication but honestly you just made me realize nobody's keeping score.
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aaronroberts
Did you ever test them by replying at 9am to see if anyone complained?
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