Stop Being Available All the Time: Close Your Day With Purpose
Store sign: “Closed for the day. I need a break and a glass of champagne.”
Intentionally open and close your day to ease the overwhelm of always being on and available.
We are so connected by technology that if we allow it, we can easily be open for business 24/7.
Physically and emotionally, it helps to create boundaries around your availability. These boundaries give your body and mind time to recharge. As a result, you make wiser, more thoughtful decisions and become a better leader in life overall.
Having clear “on” and “off” times serves relationships too.
You may know the feeling: sitting at dinner while your phone lights up beside your plate, hearing the ping of one more message while someone you love is talking, or carrying the restless energy of the workday into the quiet moments that are supposed to restore you.
It can look harmless in the moment, yet over time, it erodes presence.
Think about all the times you have been annoyed by friends and family who seemed more interested in an email or social media post on their phone than in the conversation they could be having with you.
And sometimes, if you are honest, you are the one doing it. You are the one slipping between being available and unavailable without fully choosing either.
What is it costing you in peace, presence, and connection?
In my own life, I have not always succeeded at creating clear “on” and “off” times. It has cost me opportunities to create memories with people I care about because I did not put out a closed-for-business sign.
When you are accessible all the time, even if you are simply trying to survive, put bread on the table, and keep a roof over your head, there is still an opportunity cost to your personal life. You can miss the warmth of an unhurried meal, half-listen during a meaningful conversation, or end the day with your mind still racing when your spirit and body need rest.
If you care about yourself and your relationships, make them a priority. Set boundaries around the workday.
Others have learned the same lesson. Writer and producer Shonda Rhimes (Bridgerton, Grey’s Anatomy) has spoken openly about becoming more intentional with her time and attention as her career and responsibilities expanded.
Research supports this, too. In a study of 142 couples published by the Academy of Management, researchers found that being expected to respond to emails during non-working hours often leads to dissatisfaction and conflict in relationships.
Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte found that those in relationships with workaholics are twice as likely to get divorced.
Unavailable for work should mean being available for your closest relationships, including the one you have with yourself. Take time for meals, hikes, massages, meditation, or whatever supports your mental, physical, and spiritual “wholebeing.”
Before a store opens for business, the owner goes through a specific sequence to get ready for the day. They turn off the security alarm, activate the cash register, put the finishing touches on the displays, and finally walk to the door and flip over the open sign.
At the end of the day, the sequence reverses. They flip over the closed sign, clear the cash register, sweep the floors, and restock inventory.
Your Practice.
Create your version of this. Start with a promise not to contact or respond to anyone during certain hours of the day or night.
Then:
Set a cut-off time for emails and texts.
Use the Do Not Disturb function on your devices.
Use Out of Office messages during off-hours and vacations.
Let people know your unavailability ahead of time.
Photo Op.
Set work boundary intentions. Capture an image that tells people you are open for the day. Create one that says you are closed. Post it on social media, text, or email whenever it is useful to do so.
Action Opportunity.
Create a morning and evening routine that signals when you are open and closed for business, and when you are available to the world.
Next, reinforce your daily boundaries with the affirmation: “I open and close each day with a peaceful and joyful mind.”
This article includes an excerpt from my debut book, “Take a Shot at Happiness: How to Write, Direct & Produce the Life You Want,” which reached Amazon’s #1 Bestseller list in the Creativity Self-Help category and was an Eric Hoffer Literary Award Finalist. It was voted “Best Personal Development Book of the Year 2024” and received the “2025 Leader of the Year” award from this magazine.
The book has won thirteen prestigious awards, including the Silver Nautilus Book Award and multiple category honors from the NYC Big Book Awards, National Indie Excellence Awards, Best Book Award, and the Independent Press Award. It was also featured in Times Square, New York.
Take my Free Quiz. Learn more about what makes you happy. Go to: https://sojourntohappiness.com/take-our-happiness-essentials-quiz/
“Unavailable for work should mean available for your closest relationships, including the one you have with yourself.”
-Maria Baltazzi, PhD, MFA
You can find more intentional practices in my book or by downloading my Take a Shot at Happiness app.
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