Last week I checked WhatsApp before my deep work block.
I have a rule:
no WhatsApp before 2 PM
I broke it.
Just a glance. Thirty seconds. No replies.
The rest of the day was 50% less effective.
I did not respond to a single message in that glance. But every thread spun up an open loop in my head. Every notification planted a seed of distraction.
Whether you reply or not, the damage is done. The threads are live. Your brain is now running background processes on someone else’s agenda.
Notifications are lacerators of your attention.
Every “quick check” is a fracture.
Every “quick reply” bleeds your decision capital.
The cost of an email is not the 2 minutes it takes to write. It is the 20 minutes it takes to return to deep work.
I used to check email seven days a week. Then five. Then three. Then two.
Now I check it once a week. On Mondays. My team acts as the filter.
We had to set up systems for this. It was worth it. If something urgent comes in, my team has direct access to me. If a small fire comes on a Tuesday, it waits until Monday.
Before you do this, you need to get comfortable letting little fires burn. That’s the trade-off.
Contain the chaos to a single window.
Protect your attention like your life.
Because it is.
📨
What open loops are running in your head right now?
