By Contributor Jason Walker PsyD PhD
Distracted Businessman Using Mobile Phone In Meeting
In today鈥檚 hustle-obsessed 24/7 culture, being 鈥渁lways reachable鈥 has become a twisted badge of honour. But – let鈥檚 be real: your phone impacts your focus, frying your nervous system and sabotaging your team.
You are not more productive, keen or impressive because you answer emails at midnight or within 30 seconds of receiving it. You鈥檙e exhausted. You鈥檙e pulled in a million directions. You鈥檙e reacting instead of being strategic, and your people see it. The constant pings, buzzes, and dopamine hits? That鈥檚 not leadership. That鈥檚 addiction.
New research shows that people who keep their phones on silent aren鈥檛 Zen鈥攖hey鈥檙e typically more anxious and avoidant. A recent study found that silent-mode users tend to have high levels of FOMO (fear of missing out) and anxiety. Why? Because when your phone鈥檚 quiet, your brain assumes it鈥檚 missing something important, so you check it more, not less.
According to this University of Texas study, even when your phone is just in sight, it reduces your available cognitive capacity, whether you鈥檙e using it or not. That means your brain is busy scanning for alerts 鈥 even if they鈥檙e not happening 鈥 instead of focusing on what matters.
It鈥檚 time to stop pretending this is sustainable. Constant availability is a leadership liability.
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Personally: Reclaim Your Sanity
Contrary to popular belief, nobody is good at multitasking. Our brains aren鈥檛 built for it鈥攖hey鈥檙e built for survival. Every notification? Your nervous system reads it as a possible threat.
Your brain isn鈥檛 built for multitasking 鈥 it鈥檚 built for survival. Every notification? Your nervous system reads it as a possible threat. Dr. Gloria Mark from UC Irvine found that each digital interruption breaks your concentration and raises stress levels. And it takes on average 23 minutes to refocus.
Want real peace? Silent mode + out of sight + turn off lock-screen previews. Set windows of time for checking messages. Your attention is currency 鈥 stop giving it away for free.
Team Norms: Stop Worshiping the Ping
Unspoken expectations are ruining teams. When people feel they must reply to Slack at 10 p.m. to appear engaged, you鈥檝e successfully created a burnout culture.
Set explicit norms: response time expectations, deep work blocks, no-phone meetings, and communication curfews. Team culture is shaped by what you tolerate or bravely change.
Leaders: Model the Boundary or You Kill It
You set the tone. If you鈥檙e doing email at 4 a.m. and check your phone in every meeting, your team will get the message that availability is loyalty.
When leaders model boundaries, it boosts team engagement. Leaders who respect work-life boundaries see better performance and lower burnout in their team members.
Tools like delayed email delivery and 鈥渜uiet hour鈥 policies are a start, but your day-to-day behaviour matters.
This isn鈥檛 about being anti-tech. It鈥檚 about reclaiming your cognitive space. If you lead people, protect their focus 鈥 and your own 鈥 like it鈥檚 your competitive advantage because it is.
Start today. Draw the line. Set the tone. Silence isn鈥檛 weakness 鈥 it鈥檚 power.
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