I think you know that when you say yes to those calls, you’re saying no to focusing on what you’re really good at and what you do best. In the nicest way possible, you’ll have to set some boundaries but you can do that without being awkward. First, I would try to communicate up front with new clients about when they’ll get updated and that they can call the office if they need anything. This just sets their expectations up for that from the beginning and then you can feel more comfortable standing by it. With the people who already have your number, I wonder why they feel the need to reach out to you directly and so often. Sometimes people are anxious and just need to be reassured. If you want, the next time one of them reaches out you can say “I want to give you my undivided attention but I’m in the middle of something right now. If you don’t mind, can you call the office and set up a time we can talk later?” and when you keep doing that, they’ll learn that that’s the best way to get in touch with you and that you are super busy. And you have to stick with it! If they still can’t respect it, stop answering them or block them forcing them to call the office. And when they bring up you not answering the phone, have your assistant say “oh i’m sorry, we had to cancel that number so that phone calls would come to the office directly. Most times small questions can be handled by an assistant but if not, it’s best that we schedule a time when she’s available as her calendar is quite full” something like that!