230: How to Protect Your Time When Everyone Else Thinks It's Theirs (Set Boundaries Without Guilt)

Send us a text

How to Protect Your Time When Everyone Else Thinks It's Theirs (Set Boundaries Without Guilt)

Struggling to protect your time as an entrepreneur? You're not alone. In this episode of The Overwhelmed Entrepreneur, execution coach Cindy Gordon reveals how to set boundaries as an entrepreneur when everyone else thinks your time is theirs to claim.

Discover practical time boundaries for business owners who are tired of being constantly available, always interrupted, and never having time for their own priorities. Learn the Reality Check Method for protecting your schedule without guilt or damage to relationships.

Perfect for female entrepreneurs and small business owners who struggle with saying no to clients, family members, and business partners.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why everyone treating your time as 'theirs' creates false urgency and overwhelm
• The 3 types of time boundaries every business owner needs (client, family, and internal)
• How to reality-check what's actually urgent vs. someone else's poor planning
• The 'Response Window' method that protects your time without losing clients
• Real examples of business owners who set boundaries and strengthened relationships
• What to say when setting boundaries (communication strategies for common scenarios)

If you're an overwhelmed entrepreneur who can't protect your time, this episode will help you set boundaries without guilt and reclaim your schedule.

Resources mentioned:

• The Reality Check Method at ExclusivelyCindy.com
• The Growth Collective - $1/day business support system with weekly office hours
• Weekly time management tips (link in show notes)

Keywords: set boundaries entrepreneur, protect your time, time boundaries business owner, business boundaries examples, boundaries without guilt, entrepreneur time management

🎯 You don't have to figure this out alone! The Growth Collective is your $1/day business support community with weekly office hours, strategic frameworks, and entrepreneurs who get it. Less than your coffee, more than a mastermind. Details at https://exclusivelycindy.thrivecart.com/the-growth-collective/

💡 Don't forget to subscribe for more quick productivity tips for overwhelmed business owners and female entrepreneurs!

💌 Join 1,400+ entrepreneurs getting exclusive overwhelm solutions and productivity strategies straight to their inbox - sign up now! https://cindygordon.myflodesk.com/countmein

Connect with Cindy Gordon - Reality Check Method Coach for Overwhelmed Entrepreneurs:

• Website: ExclusivelyCindy.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/exclusivelycindy/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@cindygordon

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
your client texts at 9:00 PMexpecting an immediate response.
Your family interrupts duringwork hours.
Assuming you're alwaysavailable, your business partner
schedules calls without asking.
If the time works, here's yourreality check.
Your time doesn't belong toeveryone else.
Just because you are anentrepreneur and protecting it

(00:20):
isn't selfish, it's strategic.
Hi, I'm Cindy Gordon, aself-made entrepreneur, busy mom
and execution coach.
I built and sold multipledigital businesses, and I'm the
founder of the GrowthCollective, a dollar a day
business support system whereentrepreneurs get weekly office
hours, actionable courses, and acommunity that values boundaries

(00:41):
as much as the hustle.
And here's what I want you toknow for sure.
The fastest way to burnout isletting everyone else control
your calendar.
Before we dive in today, if youare not getting my weekly
productivity tips yet, grab themusing the link in the show
notes.
They're the behind the scenessystems that I use to stay
productive while running mybusiness.

(01:03):
I'm about to show you how toprotect your time when everyone
else thinks it's theirs.
The business owners that I coachshare the same frustration.
You set work hours, but clientsexpect you to respond instantly.
You block off time for focusedwork, but family members assume
that you are available forinterruptions.
You plan your week, but otherpeople's emergencies constantly

(01:25):
hijack your schedule.
Here's what's really happening.
When you became an entrepreneur,everyone started treating your
time like it's communityproperty.
Your clients think flexibleschedule means always available.
Your family assumes that workingfrom home means you are not
really working.
Your business partners expectimmediate responses because hey,

(01:46):
you're your own boss, right?
But here's the reality check.
When everyone else treats yourtime as theirs to claim, you end
up with no time for the workthat actually moves your
business forward.
You are constantly reacting toother people's priorities
instead of protecting your own.
When it comes to settingboundaries as an entrepreneur,

(02:07):
your brain thinks thatboundaries equal rejection.
When you say no to a clientrequest or tell your family
you're unavailable, your mindautomatically worries about
damaging the relationship.
But here's what's really goingon, your confusing availability
with value.
Your brain has been trained tobelieve that being accessible 24

(02:28):
7 makes you a betterentrepreneur, a more dedicated
business owner, a more reliableperson.
But that's false urgencytalking.
When everything feels urgent,every text, every email, every
interruption.
Nothing really is the truth ismost urgent requests are just
urgent to the person makingthem.

(02:50):
Let me say that for those in theback of the room, again, most
urgent requests are just urgentto the person who's making them.
Let that sink in for a minute,and when someone else's poor
planning becomes your emergency,that's not a boundary problem.
That's a reality check problem.

(03:11):
So how do you actually protectyour time when everyone else
thinks it's theirs?
Let me walk you through thethree types of time boundaries
that every business owner needs.
Set client boundaries using theresponse window method.
Not all messages need instantreplies.
Create tiered response times.
Emails within 24 business hours.

(03:33):
Texts for actual emergencies.
Onlys.
Client calls scheduled Tuesdaythrough Thursday, reality check.
If you respond immediately,every single time you are
training people to expect animmediate response, define what
qualifies as a true emergencyand spoiler alert, most things

(03:53):
aren't Next, establish familyboundaries that protect your
work time without making youfeel guilty.
If you have a family, they needto understand that when the work
room door is closed, that meansdo not disturb unless it's an
actual emergency.
But here's the flip side, whenyou are off work, be fully
present.

(04:13):
Work time protection works bothways.
You are not available duringwork hours and work isn't
available during family time.
Here's what most entrepreneursmiss.
Internal boundaries.
You need to protect your timefrom yourself.
Stop saying yes to everyopportunity.
Stop checking email every fiveminutes.

(04:34):
Stop stealing your own CEO.
Time for busy work.
The biggest time thief in yourbusiness might actually be you
when resistance shows up,remember this question.
Is this actually urgent or isthis just urgent to them?
When a client texts at 9:00 PMask yourself if their lack of
planning constitutes youremergency.

(04:57):
It usually doesn't.
To build this into your routine,start communicating your
boundaries before you need them.
Send clients an email.
It could say something like, Irespond to emails within 24
business hours for trueemergencies.
Here's my protocol, and thenlist it out.
Tell your family your work hoursand what qualifies as an

(05:17):
interruption worthy situation.
Set your own rules about whenyou'll check your email and
stick to them.
The most common obstacle I hearis fear of losing clients.
Or disappointing people, buthere's what actually happens.
When you set real boundaries,you attract better clients who
respect your time, your familylearns to support your business,

(05:39):
and you get significantly moredone because you're not being
constantly interrupted.
Inside the Growth Collective, wework on boundary setting
strategies because this is sucha common struggle for
entrepreneurs, having acommunity that reinforces
boundaries instead of hustle atall costs, makes maintaining

(05:59):
them so much easier to maintainmomentum.
Remember that boundaries are notwalls.
They're frameworks for respect.
You are not shutting people out.
You are creating a space foryour most important work while
still being available when ittruly matters.
Let me give you a few realexamples of what time boundaries

(06:19):
look like in my business.
I've built time boundaries intomy business operations on
multiple levels.
I try to respond tonon-emergency messages within 24
hours, and I typically don'ttake calls on Mondays or
Fridays, and I protect mymorning CEO time, like it is
sacred because it is.

(06:40):
These boundaries haven't lostme, clients or business.
They've earned me respect andgiven me back the control of my
schedule.
So here's what I want you toremember today.
Protecting your time makes you abetter entrepreneur, not a
selfish one.
When everything feels urgent,you need to reality check whose
emergency it actually is.

(07:01):
Nine times outta 10, it's notgonna be yours.
Your challenge for this week isto set one boundary and
communicate it clearly.
One response time expectation,one, work hour boundary.
One internal rule aboutprotecting your focus time and
then stick to it even when itfeels uncomfortable.
You can also find me onInstagram at exclusively, Cindy,

(07:24):
where I share daily realitychecks for overwhelmed
entrepreneurs, includingboundary setting tips, just like
the ones we talked about today.
I want you to remember that wheneveryone else thinks that your
time is theirs, you need toreality check what's actually
yours to protect your time, yourbusiness, your rules.

(07:44):
Now go set that boundary andremember you've got this.

Speaker (07:48):
Thanks for spending these few minutes with me today.
Remember, overwhelm isn'tpermanent.
It's simply your brain's way ofsaying pause and take a little
reality check.
If this was helpful, you'll lovemy weekly email tips where I
share the systems that keep meand hundreds of other
entrepreneurs on Track Link inthe show notes.
If you got value in today'sepisode, please share it with

(08:10):
another entrepreneur who needsthat reminder.
If you're loving the show, I'dbe so grateful if you could
leave me a quick review.
It helps other overwhelmedentrepreneurs find us.
Make sure you hit subscribe soyou never miss your weekly dose
of clarity.
For more resources and toconnect with me, visit
exclusively cindy.com.
Until next time, remember you'vegot this.