Digital boundaries

December is upon us and the days and weeks are flying by!! As I wrap up client work in the coming weeks, the same themes come up, boundaries, priorities and finding enough time in the day to get through the mountain of work that still needs to be done. One area of focus seems to be our connectedness (is that a word???).

Some of the deep conversations I've got into with clients has been around our customers, clients or colleagues need to be able to access us or contact us at all times. Causes a bit of a viseral response for many!!

This made made me think of our phones, and how for many, they are an extention of our computer and work environment. I don't believe the phone is the problem (at least not on its own), its the constant access it gives...

Ever notice how the moment you sit down to focus, suddenly:
— A notification buzzes
— Someone “just needs one quick thing”
— An email pops in
— Your brain decides now is the perfect time to check that message you forgot to reply to

And “poof'“ just like that… your attention is gone. It’s not a lack of discipline. It’s the lack of boundaries around your digital world.

We weren’t designed to be reachable every second of the day. Our attention — and nervous system pay the price when everything feels urgent.

Talking with clients over the last couple of weeks has seen the same themes come up over and over again:

• Mental fatigue

• Reduced focus

• Higher stress

• Poor sleep

• Increased anxiety

• A brain that never gets to switch off

It can almost feel like a physical zap to your nervous system, you feel it in the slight change of your posture, your jaw tightens just a little more, your breathing speeds up, every ping, ding, and alert pulls your brain into a state of reactivity instead of the calm intentional action needed for deep work or real focus. Even if you don’t check the notification — your brain and often your body still registers the interruption.

Questions I ask my clients when they tell me this is how they are feeling:

✔ Do you check emails or messages first thing in the morning?
✔ Do you feel pressure to reply right away?
✔ Does a simple check lead to you scrollin and losing time?
✔ Tell me how your work day ends?

Suggestions I make…….

1. Delay your digital start - Give yourself 30–60 minutes screen-free in the morning. Let your priorities lead the day — not someone else’s inbox.

2. Create notification rules - Turn off anything that isn’t essential. Especially: social media, email badges, random app alerts. If something really matters — it’ll find a calmer way to reach you.

3. Have “offline hours” - Choose a time where work messages stop: 5pm? 6pm? After dinner? You’re allowed to exist outside of a screen.

4. Make your phone “less tempting” - Try: Moving distracting apps off your home screen - A charging station outside the bedroom. We’re wired for convenience — so make distractions less convenient.

5. Protect your deep work windows - Set Do Not Disturb during deep work. Communicate it if you need to: “I check messages at 11am and 3pm — will reply then!” Most people respect boundaries when they understand them.

We don’t need to ditch technology.
We just need it to stop running the show.

When you take back control of your attention, you gain:
🧠 Better focus
💭 Mental space
😌 Less stress
💤 Better sleep
✨ More energy for the things that matter

Digital boundaries aren’t restrictive — they’re protective.

Give your brain some breathing room.