Is this one reason men need space?

I’m in a new relationship and spent yesterday agonising over why I hadn’t heard from him. Told myself I was being stupid, overanalysing, etc.. which turned out to be the case. The reason he hadn’t called?
“I had to do some painting and I knew if you were there I wouldn’t be able to get on with it cos I’d be all over you!”
Granted, this is New Relationship stuff. But I just wondered, do many of you out there need that kind of space at times? As in, you want to see the SO but you know it will lead you astray from your tasks?! LOL I said I would have helped to paint but he said there was no way he could have concentrated (so he got it done and we’re meeting later).