The offduty blog
Thoughts on email, focus, and taking your attention back.
Checking Email Before Bed Is Quietly Wrecking Your Sleep
Checking email before bed keeps your mind in work mode long after you've closed your laptop. Here's why the habit costs more than a few minutes, and what to do instead.
The Midday Reset: Why Your Lunch Break Should Be an Inbox-Free Zone
An email-free lunch break gives your brain the only real reset it gets all day. Here's why checking your inbox at lunch quietly cancels the benefit, and what to do instead.
Attention Residue: The Hidden Cost of Switching Away From Email
Attention residue is what's left in your mind after you check email and return to work. Here's why it lingers, and how batching clears it.
The Post-Vacation Inbox: How to Return Without Drowning
Post-vacation inbox overload hits everyone the same way: hundreds of unread messages and a Monday that never really starts. Here's how to come back without losing the week.
Notification Overload: Why Every New App Makes Focus Harder
Notification overload isn't caused by any single app being too noisy. It's caused by the number of apps you're asking your attention to monitor at once.
Open Loops: Why Unanswered Emails Follow You Everywhere You Go
Open loops email: why unanswered messages keep intruding on your attention long after you've closed your inbox, and how to close the loop without checking constantly.