How to Stop Checking Work Email After Hours (And Why Your Team Will Thank You)
- linnearader
- Dec 3
- 8 min read
Constantly checking work email at night and weekends? You're not alone. Here's why this habit hurts your leadership effectiveness and 5 practical strategies to finally set healthy email boundaries.
It's 9:47 PM. You're watching a movie with your family when your phone buzzes. Outlook notification. Your hand reaches for the phone before you even think about it.
Sound familiar?
For years, I checked emails at all hours. Middle of the night. During dinner. On vacation. If the notification went off, I was looking. And I convinced myself this made me a better, more responsive leader.
Here's what actually happened: I was exhausted, my family resented my phone, and I wasn't any more effective at work. In fact, I was probably less effective because I never truly rested.
Why Checking Email Constantly Doesn't Make You a Better Leader
"You think you're being reasonable when you're actually making things worse."
Let me tell you what I learned the hard way: that email at 9 PM doesn't need your response at 9:01 PM.
I used to think being available 24/7 was part of the job description. If someone needed me, I should be there. If an email came in, I should respond quickly. That's what good leaders do, right?
Wrong.
Here's the reality I didn't want to face: I was no better prepared the next work day. I wasn't more productive. I wasn't ahead. There was NO off button. I never gave myself a break. It stunk.
I've responded to tons of emails late at night. None of them resulted in anything life changing.
But one night stands out. I received that notification, read the email, and tried to sleep. I tossed and turned. The condescending tone of the email had me on edge. I wanted to tell the sender off.
I was exhausted. I was cranky. It rubbed me the wrong way, and I couldn't ignore it. So I shot off a reply. A passive aggressive, borderline unprofessional email in which, in my sleepy state of mind, I thought said "we could dive into the details of the situation in the morning."
It didn't.
That's the problem with responding to emails when you're tired. Your judgment is off. Your tone is off. You think you're being reasonable when you're actually making things worse.
Your Team Doesn't Want 9 PM Responses
Here's something that surprised me: when I finally stopped responding to emails after hours, my team was relieved.
They didn't want me responding at all hours. They wanted a leader who models healthy boundaries and shows up refreshed during actual work hours.
Think about it from their perspective. When you send emails at 10 PM, what message does that send? Even if you don't expect them to respond immediately, you're creating anxiety. They're wondering if they should be working too. If they're falling short because they're not checking email at night. If your expectations are reasonable or if they're expected to be always on.
I was shocked the day I learned this lesson.
I got an email from one of my teammates very shortly after I sent one late in the evening. I was working late, trying to catch up. And here comes a reply.
I replied back: what are you doing working?
Their response: "answering you."
On Monday we discussed it further. They weren't working, but their alert said I was and they didn't want to hold me up. I had explained before that I would be working to catch up on things, but what my team heard was that I was behind and wanted to get caught up. And they felt if they got something from me that I was working on and they didn't respond, then I wouldn't be able to get caught up.
So my desire to get "caught up" (a feat that will never really be met, by the way) meant I was putting everyone on notice subconsciously.
That conversation changed everything for me. I wasn't just affecting my own work-life balance. I was destroying theirs too.
The Illusion of Productivity
"Very rarely is there a true emergency that requires your immediate attention at 9 PM on a Tuesday."
When you're checking email constantly, you feel productive. You're responding. You're handling things. You're on top of everything.
But are you actually accomplishing anything meaningful?
Most after-hours emails fall into a few categories:
Things that can absolutely wait until tomorrow
Things you shouldn't respond to when you're tired
Things that aren't actually your problem to solve
Things that will generate more work if you respond now
Very rarely is there a true emergency that requires your immediate attention at 9 PM on a Tuesday.
The Real Cost of Always-On Email Culture
The cost isn't just personal, though that's bad enough. It's organizational.
Decision-Making Suffers When You're Always "On"
See that story above about the passive aggressive email I sent when I should have been sleeping? That's what happens when you make decisions while tired.
You think you're being professional. You think you're handling it. But you're not. You're reactive, not thoughtful. You're solving today's problem while creating tomorrow's mess.
Your brain needs rest to make good decisions. When you're responding to emails at all hours, you're making decisions in a state of fatigue. You're more reactive, less thoughtful, and more likely to miss important details.
Your Family Pays the Price
"My attention was never fully present. Part of me was always waiting for the next email, the next problem, the next thing that needed handling."
It didn't matter if I was at dinner with my family, watching a movie, or trying to have a conversation. If the notification went off for good ole Outlook, I was looking.
The look. The eye roll. The return of behavior. These are all reactions to my phone usage by my husband, kids, and family. And I can't blame them.
I used to check the darn thing ALL. THE. TIME.
I missed my kiddos plays in basketball. I missed funny things they were saying at dinner. I missed the details.
My attention was never fully present. Part of me was always waiting for the next email, the next problem, the next thing that needed handling.
And my family noticed. Even when I thought I was being subtle about it, they knew. They always knew.
You're Setting Up Your Team for Burnout
When you're always on, your team feels pressure to be always on too. Even if you explicitly tell them you don't expect responses after hours, your behavior speaks louder than your words.
If you're sending emails at 9 PM, they're reading emails at 9 PM. If you're working weekends, they feel guilty for not working weekends. Your always-on culture becomes their always-on culture.
And that's how entire teams burn out.
5 Strategies to Break the After-Hours Email Habit
Okay, enough about why this is a problem. Let's talk about how to actually fix it.
Strategy 1: Turn Off Notifications After Work Hours
This is the simplest and most effective change I made. At 7 PM, my work email notifications turn off. They come back on at 7 AM the next work day.
No buzzing. No dinging. No temptation to "just check quickly."
How to do this:
iPhone: Settings > Notifications > Mail > Customize Notifications > Set a schedule
Android: Settings > Apps > Email > Notifications > Set quiet hours
Outlook: File > Options > Mail > Message arrival > Uncheck notification options, or use Focus Assist on Windows
The first few nights feel weird. You'll reach for your phone out of habit. But after a week, the peace is incredible.
Strategy 2: Use Scheduled Send Features
Sometimes you write emails after hours. Maybe that's when you have thinking time. That's fine, but you don't have to send them immediately.
Every major email platform has a "schedule send" feature. Write the email whenever you want, but schedule it to send during business hours.
How to do this:
Outlook: Options > Delay Delivery > Set send time
Gmail: Click the arrow next to Send > Schedule send
Apple Mail: Long-press Send > Send Later
This way you can work when it suits you, but you're not creating after-hours anxiety for your team.
Strategy 3: Create an Email Processing Schedule
"This allows me to adjust my priorities based on true need evaluation rather than constant interruption."
Instead of responding to emails as they arrive all day and night, set specific times to process email.
Now I check email at the beginning of the day. Then, unless there's a reason, I don't check it again until lunch time. Then, not again until the end of the day.
This allows me to adjust my priorities based on true need evaluation rather than constant interruption. I can actually deep think and process things instead of being reactive all day long.
When you batch your email processing, you're more efficient and less reactive. You're making decisions from a clear headspace instead of constantly context-switching.
Strategy 4: Communicate Your Boundaries to Your Team
Your team needs to know your boundaries exist. Try putting this in your email signature:
"I may send emails outside of business hours, but I don't expect responses until the next business day."
Even better, tell them directly in a team meeting: "I'm working on better work-life balance, so I'm not checking email after 7 PM anymore. If there's a true emergency, here's how to reach me. Otherwise, it can wait until morning."
This gives them explicit permission to do the same.
Strategy 5: Set Up Alternative Emergency Contact Methods
One of the biggest fears about not checking email constantly is missing a true emergency.
So define what an emergency actually is, and create an alternative way for people to reach you in those rare situations.
For me, an actual emergency is a safety problem or injury. That's the top tier.
Then comes urgent personnel matters that involve short notice requests for leave or personal matters requiring an employee's full attention.
Next comes Commissioner, Managing Director, Township Liaison, or elected/appointed inquiries.
I always joke that if you can't get ahold of me, call, text, or send a pigeon. But the point is this: true emergencies don't come through email. They come through a phone call.
For most of us, true emergencies that require immediate leader attention after hours are incredibly rare. But having that backup system in place makes it easier to ignore email with confidence.
What to Do If You're Worried About Missing Something Urgent
"Here's what I learned: in my entire career, I can't truly think of a single urgent, true emergency coming through email after hours."
Let's address the anxiety directly, because I know it's real.
"But what if someone needs me?" "What if something important happens?" "What if I miss a critical email?"
Here's what I learned: in my entire career, I can't truly think of a single urgent, true emergency coming through email after hours.
Not one.
You know why? Because nobody would even think to send something of that level of importance through email. If it's genuinely urgent, they call.
So then, why did I find it so important to check it all the time?
That's the question that finally broke through my resistance. I was sacrificing my evenings, my family time, my sleep, and my sanity for... nothing that actually mattered.
How Your Team Benefits When You Set Email Boundaries
When I finally implemented these boundaries, something unexpected happened. My team got better.
They developed stronger problem-solving skills because they couldn't immediately escalate everything to me. They built confidence in their decision-making. They felt trusted.
And they started setting their own boundaries because I'd modeled that it was okay.
Team morale improved. People seemed less stressed. The work still got done, maybe even better than before because people were actually resting and showing up refreshed.
The Change I Made This Week
Here's my challenge to you: pick ONE boundary to implement this week. Just one.
Maybe it's turning off notifications after 7 PM. Maybe it's using scheduled send. Maybe it's telling your team you're not checking email on weekends anymore.
Start small. Build the habit. See how it feels.
I promise you, that email can wait until morning. Your brain needs rest. Your family deserves your attention. Your team needs you to model healthy boundaries.
And you'll be a better leader because of it.
This is one of 10 leadership habits you should break in 2025. Read about the other 9 bad leadership habits here.
Ready to stop feeling guilty about work-life balance? I help leaders set boundaries and build sustainable leadership practices. Schedule a free coaching consultation.
What's your biggest challenge with after-hours email? Have you found strategies that work? Share in the comments below.
As always, carry social kindness with you everywhere you go. The world needs you and your positive mindset!
Connect With Me
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269-621-5282
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