Why ignoring emails after work helps mental health

You’re not lazy for ignoring work emails after 5pm. No manager should expect you to be “on” 24/7. Companies love to say “We value our people.” They post about Mental Health Awareness Week. They list “Respect” as a company value. But then… -They leave voicemails at 8pm. -They chase you on weekends. -They ask you to be 'available' on holiday It's not normal. No matter how 'normalised' your employer has made it. You’re allowed to have a life outside of work. Dinner that’s not interrupted by Slack. Weekends without “quick updates.” Moments where you’re unreachable. If a company truly respects you, they’ll respect your time. And if you feel anxious for: → Muting work chats → Turning on “Do Not Disturb” → Logging off when your hours are done Then something is seriously wrong. Work will still be there in the morning. And if your boss can’t handle that? You’re not the problem. They are. (Image credit: Roberto Ferraro)

You are not responsive. You are fragmented. Being available 24/7 is not a work ethic. It is a cognitive injury you are inflicting on yourself every single day. I spent many years checking emails before my kids were awake. I thought I was being professional. My brain thought it was under attack. Here is what actually happens when you never go offline: 𝗖𝗼𝗴𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘁 Every notification pulls you out of focus. Research shows it takes up to 23 minutes to reload your context and fully return to deep work. If you check messages every 15 minutes, you literally never arrive. You spend your entire day in shallow mode. 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘀 Your nervous system needs a signal that the threat is over. When your phone buzzes at 9 PM, your body does not distinguish between work and danger. Cortisol stays high. Sleep gets worse. HRV stays flat. You wake up tired because your system never actually powered down. 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗱𝗲𝗯𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝘀 Every message is a micro-decision. Respond now? Later? Ignore? By evening, your brain is toast. No bandwidth left for the people or projects that matter. So what do you do? You cannot ghost your team. But you also cannot keep running at this pace. Here is the protocol: 𝗦𝗲𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗼𝘄𝘀 Pick two or three times per day to check and respond. Morning. Midday. Late afternoon. Outside those windows, you are not rude. You are focused. Communicate it clearly. "I check messages at X, Y, and Z. For emergencies, call me." Most urgent things can wait three hours. Real emergencies almost never happen. 𝗧𝘂𝗿𝗻 𝗼𝗳𝗳 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 All of them. Email, Slack, LinkedIn, everything. Your phone should not decide when you check. You should. 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 After 7 PM, work apps go into a folder you do not open. You do not owe anyone access to your recovery time. That time is where capacity rebuilds. 𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗼-𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 Try it. Even when you are in the office. "I respond to messages within 24 hours. For urgent matters, call [number]." You train people how to treat your time. The first week feels weird. You will worry someone is annoyed. They are not. They are just learning your boundaries. Within two weeks, your focus returns. Your sleep improves. You remember what energy feels like at 6 PM. Constant availability does not make you valuable. It makes you exhausted. Protect your attention like you protect your calendar. Because they are the same thing. What's your availability policy? Or are you still always on? If you want more like this, join The Upward ARC newsletter. Evidence-based performance frameworks for people with real jobs and real lives. Link in bio.

The message popped up at 11:30 p.m. “Can you deliver this project by tomorrow first-half?” My phone’s glow was the only light in the room. My instant gut reaction: say yes, push through, deliver. This was my norm. Late nights, early mornings, always chasing deadlines, checking any notifications (from teams, outlook, etc.,), always “ON.” Not sure, but maybe I wore exhaustion like a medal, convinced that hustle equaled leadership/ownership. But it didn’t. It led to burnout, missed moments, and a blurred line between work and life. Then came the wake-up call: If I didn’t set my own boundaries, work would set them for me - often at the worst times. So, I made a rule: No work emails after a set time. No exceptions. That time is sacred - reserved for family, rest, recharging, and myself. The impact? I’m more present, more focused, and ironically, more productive. My leadership improved because I wasn’t just reacting - I was leading with intention. As a result, I am fully present (wherever I am) . :) The real breakthrough wasn’t about working harder or longer. It was about working smarter and living fully. What boundary will you set today to protect your time and energy? #WorkLifeBalance #Leadership #BoundarySetting #IntentionalLiving #Productivity #MentalHealthMatters

Newly published research shows that taking calls & answering emails during “non-work” time can have negative consequences for people. When people use work-related technology in the evening (even by choice) they struggle to mentally switch off from work, which negatively affects their wellbeing both that night & the next morning. Evening work-related technology use depletes people’s “self-regulatory resources” - the mental energy needed to redirect attention away from work. Without these resources, people cannot mentally disengage from work, which impairs their ability to repair their mood & maintain emotional wellbeing. It creates measurable reductions in positive affect (feeling enthusiastic, relaxed) & increases in negative affect (feeling anxious, dejected). This negative effect carries over to the next day, creating a downward spiral of loss of resources. However, two factors can break this cycle: feeling in control of how evening time is spent & getting good quality sleep. The authors describe a "double-edged sword" situation - evening technology use may help with work goals in the short term but comes at a cost to recovery & ongoing wellbeing. Actions for leaders based on this research: 1) Discuss how to contain the work to the working day with the team & problem solve: don't encourage "going the extra mile at night" or "always-on" behaviours. 2) Model the boundaries we expect from others: if we want people in our teams to respect their evening time, demonstrate it ourselves by not sending late-night emails or messages. When leaders reply to emails at midnight, team members feel they should too. 2) Make our own boundaries visible & talk about them openly: the research emphasises that perceived control is protective, & when leaders talk openly about their own boundaries, it helps team members feel comfortable setting their own without fear of judgment. 3) Include digital boundary training in wellbeing training: encourage people to be more deliberate about when they engage with work technology rather than checking emails out of habit. 4) Act early when we notice patterns of evening work: spot these patterns early & intervene before visible wellbeing problems emerge, enabling workplace cultures where people feel comfortable setting boundaries. https://lnkd.in/e_Eyqi2A By Svenja Schlachter (Ph.D.) & colleagues, via John Whitfield MBA. Graphic by Work Chronicles.

In today’s always-on culture, it’s easy to let work bleed into every aspect of our lives. With emails pinging at all hours and the pressure to stay ahead, the line between work and life becomes increasingly blurred. We tell ourselves that this is just the way things are, that to be successful, we have to be available 24/7. But this mindset comes at a cost. There’s a powerful truth in the quote, “If you never leave life to go to work, you will never leave work to go back to life.” It’s a reminder that the boundaries we set between our work and our personal lives are essential—not just for our productivity, but for our well-being and the quality of our relationships. When we fail to separate our work from our life, we risk losing touch with the very things that give our lives meaning—our relationships, our passions, our health, and our sense of self. Work begins to dominate our time and energy, leaving little room for the people and experiences that truly make us feel alive. And ironically, this imbalance can lead to burnout, decreased productivity, and a sense of emptiness that no amount of professional success can fill. The key is learning to set boundaries. Just as you leave life to go to work each day, you must consciously leave work to return to life. This means creating space for the things that matter most—spending quality time with loved ones, pursuing hobbies, taking care of your physical and mental health, and simply enjoying the moments of stillness and reflection that life offers. This isn’t about neglecting work or being less ambitious. It’s about recognizing that life is about more than just work. By intentionally carving out time to disconnect from work, you’re not just preserving your energy—you’re ensuring that when you do show up to work, you do so with a full tank, ready to give your best. So, make it a priority to leave work behind at the end of the day. Close the laptop, turn off the notifications, and step back into your life. Reconnect with the things that bring you joy and the people who matter most. Because if you never leave work, you’ll never fully experience the richness of life. And in the end, it’s that balance that will lead to a more fulfilling, successful, and meaningful existence. #WorkLifeBalance #Productivity #Mindset #WellBeing #PersonalGrowth #Relationships

Your inbox is closed, but your brain is still in work mode. Sound familiar? This is modern-day burnout—a new kind of exhaustion caused by being always on and never truly off. With work emails, Slack messages, and notifications following you everywhere, the boundary between work and life has disappeared. And your brain? It’s paying the price. When you never disconnect, your nervous system stays in a constant state of high alert. Over time, this leads to chronic stress, emotional exhaustion, and total burnout. The fix? Small, science-backed changes that actually work. ✨ Set hard work hours—and actually stick to them. ✨ Take breaks that don’t involve screens. ✨ Establish tech-free zones in your home. ✨ Replace end-of-day doom-scrolling with something restorative. Your brain needs time to shut down and recharge—so you can show up as your best self tomorrow. ___ 👋 Hi, I’m Aditi Nerurkar, MD, MPH, Harvard physician, stress expert, and bestselling author of The 5 Resets. 🧠 Follow me for science-backed tips on stress, burnout, and resilience.

Is the urgency culture burning us out? We’ve all felt the pressure—the constant need to respond immediately to every email, message, and ping. But here's a truth we often forget: Not everything requires an instant response. That email? It can wait. It won’t derail your progress or destroy your productivity. You are not a machine, and you’re not designed to work like one. Slowing down doesn’t mean you’re falling behind; it means you’re prioritising what truly matters—your mental health. Pause. Take a breath. Reclaim your time. When you give yourself the space to breathe, you’re doing more than just surviving the workday—you’re protecting your nervous system, your focus, and your long-term well-being. Let’s stop glorifying busyness and start advocating for balance. Your mental health is not a side note; it’s the foundation of everything you do. ~Nerry Toledo

My email inbox was killing me. A few years back, I couldn't go more than about 15 minutes without checking my email. At work, I always had it open to see when a new notification came through. At home, I would check it on my phone regularly. I needed to see if a new referral came in. I needed to know if the prosecutor had responded. I needed to know if a client had made a payment. It was obsessive. Doing this at work was one thing. It was hard to focus on any task because I would consistently get distracted by emails, even the unimportant ones. Doing this at home was even worse. I could never fully enjoy the time I got to spend with my family. I tried a few different strategies but finally settled on one. At work, I keep my email closed, and depending on the day, I set aside 10 minutes at the beginning of every hour to check it and respond to the important ones. I then spend time at the end of my work day clearing out the unimportant emails from my inbox. In addition, and this was the hardest step of all, I removed all email apps from my phone. Some may say it was drastic, but it was the only thing that would work for me. I had to quit cold turkey. Occasionally it can be a pain when I'm in court and need to pull out my laptop to search for a specific email. But the payoffs are much more important. By placing even a small barrier between me and my email when away from my work, my mind can finally focus on what is in front of me, a beautiful life that I love living. *** For tips on how to run a successful law firm that you and your clients love, subscribe to my weekly newsletter "The Business of Criminal Law". The link is in the comments below. 👇 ***

No Job Is Worth Your Mental Health. The reality is simple: Work will always demand more. But instead of setting boundaries, we push ourselves to exhaustion—answering emails late at night, skipping breaks, and sacrificing well-being for productivity. Want a career that supports your life instead? Set boundaries that protect your mental energy. Disconnect without guilt when the workday ends. Prioritize rest as much as results. Then use that space to recharge without pressure. Take a real lunch break. Log off on time. Say no to unrealistic expectations. Modern success isn’t about burnout. It’s about knowing when to step away. The goal isn’t to work endlessly. The goal is to work sustainably—so you can enjoy life beyond your job. A fulfilling life isn’t built on overwork. It’s built on balance. Take care of yourself. No job is worth your health.