The post-pandemic world of work promised us greater flexibility. But for many high-performing professionals, it delivered something less freeing and far more fatiguing: the infinite workday.

Microsoft’s latest Work Trend Index exposes a confronting reality. Meetings have multiplied, inboxes overflow, and Teams’ messages now blur the boundaries of when the day ends (if it ever does). Many knowledge workers are now stuck in a perpetual state of “digital debt”, unable to reclaim their time, energy or attention (what I refer to in my keynotes as our three most important human currencies).

And let’s be honest: disconnecting is easier said than done.

The Stats: What the Modern Workday Really Looks Like

According to Microsoft’s research:

Many people are caught in the loop of the 3Ms: Meetings, Messages and (e)Mail — often late into the evening.

This data backs up what I hear every week from executive coaching clients and corporate teams: “I feel like I never stop working.” “Even when I’m off the clock, I’m still mentally logged on.”

Why Legislation Isn’t a Silver Bullet

The push for ‘Right to Disconnect’ legislation is a vital step. It provides a formal boundary and encourages employees to protect their wellbeing.

But here’s the hard truth: policies can only go so far.

We still need the cultural permission to actually use that right. That means:

Leaders modelling digital restraint (it’s hard to ignore your boss’ email at 3pm on a Sunday, especially if all of your colleagues are replying)

Clarity on after-hours expectations (in my Digital Guardrails Consultancy work I call these our “tech-spectations”).

Systemic change in how work is structured and communicated

It’s difficult to ignore a 3pm Sunday Slack from your boss if the rest of your team is already replying. Boundaries, without behaviour change, are a Band-Aid. And boundaries without leadership implementation are merely well-intentioned theories. When leaders don’t actively model the behaviours they promote, psychological safety erodes and so does any chance of real cultural change.

Why We Need Digital Guardrails

Our brains haven’t evolved as quickly as our tech. We have ancient brains operating in a high-tech digital world. What I call our Human Operating System (hOS) is still biologically wired work in short bursts, not always-on responsiveness. Our hOS hasn’t been designed to cope with constant distractions that divert our attention.

We’re running Palaeolithic software in a hyperconnected, hyper-alert environment. That comes at a cost: increased stress, reduced cognition, impaired memory and rising burnout.

That’s why organisations must go beyond policy and install what I call Digital Guardrails — clear, science-aligned norms around digital behaviours:

Protected focus hours

Meeting-free zones

Expectations on response times (formally articulate your “tech-spectations”)

Micro-break prompts integrated into workflows

 
The Science: Why This Isn’t Sustainable

Here’s the neuroscience:

Our prefrontal cortex, the part of our hOS responsible for decision-making, planning and working memory, only has a 4–6 hour battery life per day. After that, cognitive function declines.

The brain is designed for cycles of output and rest (based on our ultradian rhythms). Ignoring this creates cognitive fatigue.

Switching between meetings, emails and chat apps is depleting (constant multitasking has been shown to increase cortisol and burn through glucose leaving us feeling exhausted)

Yet many workdays are still designed as if we’re machines. And we’re not. We cannot out perform our biological blueprint. We were designed for effort and recovery, effort and recovery. We simply weren’t designed, nor have we evolved to be “always on”.

What works instead?

✅ 10-minute breaks between virtual meetings = lower stress, better memory retention (validated by EEG scans)
✅ 15-minute movement breaks every 90–120 minutes = +33% productivity, +29% focus
✅ Daily proactive rest = up to 26% performance increase; burnout drops from 22% to just 2% when recovery is prioritised.

In other words, we don’t need to do more. We need to operate smarter, in a way that honours our hOS.

Flexible Work Wasn’t Meant to Cost Our Sanity

For many people, especially those in leadership roles, the flexibility dividend never landed. Instead, it meant juggling professional excellence with domestic responsibilities, competing demands and a 24/7 connection loop. The laptop at the dinner table, the late-night Teams messages, the 5am email responses, these aren’t markers of productivity, they’re signals of systemic failure (and ways of working that simply aren’t compatible with our hOS).

Sustainable performance doesn’t come from pushing harder. It comes from aligned rhythms, smart boundaries and working with our biological blueprint: our hOS.

Where to From Here?

Leaders must become fluent in the biology of high-performance. We can no longer afford to ignore the science and pretend hustle will solve our human limits.

If we want sustainable, spacious success, it starts with:

Ditching the badge of busyness

Redefining what “productive” looks like

Building digital wellbeing into your workplace DNA

Because you can’t optimise a team that’s running on empty.

Need help designing Digital Guardrails or educating your team on peak performance? I work with organisations and leaders to build high-performance cultures that honour the human brain.

Looking for a speaker to share the cutting-edge science of sustainable peak-performance in the age of AI? Contact Emma from Tier One Management to enquire about my availability.