When I first started easing back into the corporate world after five years as an “always on” consultant, my biggest concern was being able to keep my two worlds from colliding. For example, over on the Freelance Switch boards, one poster is freaking out that a client tracked them down at a day job to complain about a project going wrong.

1. Eliminate opportunities for disaster and double-booking.
Moving into a job where I had to be “clocked in” from 9-5 meant setting some strong boundaries for clients. One of my businesses, a teleclass recording service, required me to make commitments to be available at odd hours throughout the week. When I was totally freelance, this was a great business, since I could often do it while doing other things. When I merged my business with another web marketing company, we had resources to help handle many of those calls. But moving out of that environment meant saying goodbye to that income stream. I no longer had to worry about clients who might be disappointed that I couldn’t block out a certain time for them, and I found ways to earn more income by focusing my efforts on single tasks during my freelance time chunks. I realized that many of the biggest service problems I encountered stemmed from making too many commitments in that area. Letting go really freed me up to focus on things I really enjoyed doing without the potential for urgency.

2. Set communication boundaries in advance.
One freelance IT professional with whom I collaborate frequently has a “day job,” too. It keeps him busy from 8am-3pm, so he can take on client projects from 4-10pm. Clients that get testy about not being able to reach him before 4pm don’t make his cut — he tells them up front that they’re not going to be a fit. He also advises new clients to contact him by e-mail instead of by phone, since he can respond more quickly to messages at the start of his second shift. While I understand the fear that some freelancers have about divulging their “other lives,” preparing the client in advance is far less risky than cleaning up after a communications meltdown.

3. Open up self-serve options.
Another thing that successful hobbypreneurs do, as evidenced in The Four-Hour Workweek: put as much of your business on auto-pilot as possible. After handling fulfillment for my own products for seven years, I let a third-party distributor do all the heavy lifting. While I was afraid I’d lose too much profit margin and control by handing over the reins, the result was less urgency in my life and the ability to refer our mutual customers to a dedicated customer service team. Allowing automated scheduling and confirmations also makes clients and customers feel like they’re being taken care of, even if you’re on the other side of town plugging away at your day gig.

4. Post clear communication channels.
When a customer of your hobbypreneur enterprise really does need something from you, make it clear how you can be contacted and what your turnaround time will be. On an outbound voicemail message, advise callers when you will get back to them. I often use the phrase, “the close of the next business day.” I follow that up by posting my personal work schedule on the private intranet I use with freelance clients. This way, they know what my “office hours” are and when I can get back to them. Using a separate business number from GrandCentral or uReach can help, as well — this way, you can avoid giving out your cell phone number and allow only notifications of incoming calls.

5. Arrange discreet notifications.
Along the same lines, message filters and voicemail settings can allow just the most serious situations to get your attention while at your day job. I use filters in GMail and .Mac to allow only the most urgent messages to ping me on my iPhone. I can excuse myself for a break and handle an emergency request from a client. (Usually, that request is to confirm my availability for a last minute project instead of a total meltdown — it’s why I sold off my web hosting business years ago.)

This list is far from complete, and I’ll probably revise it a lot over the coming months. But these are all strategies that keep me sane and my clients happy.