MSS #0133 – The Antidote to Always-On: How to Switch Off Without Falling Behind

26 July 25

MSS #0133 – The Antidote to Always-On: How to Switch Off Without Falling Behind

📅 Date: 26 July, 2025

Read time: 2.7 minutes
🚀 In a hurry? Jump to “The 5-Step Reset for the Always-On Mind”  for a reduced reading time of 1.5 minutes.

You answer emails before breakfast.

You reply to messages at dinner.

Your breaks are brief, your mind never clocks out, and still – you feel behind.

If your “off” switch is faulty, this week’s issue is for you.

We’re exploring how to switch off properly – not just physically, but mentally.

Not by escaping life, but by designing deliberate boundaries that make rest sustainable.

 

Always-On is the New Default

The problem isn’t just work culture.

It’s brain chemistry.

Every notification, message, and micro-task switch triggers a dopamine drip that mimics progress — even when it’s not.

We get addicted to availability.

But the cost?

- Sleeplessness
- Cognitive fatigue
- Blunted creativity
- Emotional flatness
- Persistent low-grade anxiety

We’ve replaced presence with vigilance.

It’s time to reverse that.

Are you ready?

Truly ready?

 

The 5-Step Reset for the Always-On Mind

(Start here for a 1.5-minute read time)

Use these five practices to protect your time, attention, and sense of stillness.

1. Define “Off”

You can’t switch off if you haven’t defined what “off” means.

Ask yourself:
- What does “off” look like for me?
- What’s the latest time I’ll respond to anything work-related?
- What notifications am I still allowing that I no longer need?

Clarity removes loopholes.

Vague intentions leak energy.

 

2. Build a Power-Down Routine

You don’t land a plane by cutting the engines.

You descend.

Create a short, repeatable wind-down ritual:
- Dim the lights
- Log out of email and messaging apps
- Move to a different room or space
- Use the same cue each time: a stretch, a sound, a sentence

Example: “That’s enough for today. I’ll continue tomorrow.”

 

3. Use the “Third Space”

The “third space” is the transitional moment between roles:
• From work to home
• From parent to partner
• From screen to self

Consciously acknowledge you are in the “third space” ie you get in the car to come home, before you drive off have a ritual that signals to your brain you are in transition from work to home mode now.

Perhaps your transition space is a specific room at home, a walk as soon as you stop work.


Build buffers:
- One deep breath before opening a door
- One minute of silence before the next task
- A moment of reflection or intention-setting

These micro-pauses stop stress from spilling forward.

 

4. Switch Off Without Falling Behind

One reason we stay always-on?

Fear of dropping the ball.

Solution: catch-up structure.

Try this:
- Block a 30-minute admin window daily
- Use away messages (“I respond to messages after 10am”)
- Jot thoughts into a notepad so they don’t linger in your head

These builds trust in your own systems.

 

5. Train Stillness Like a Strength

Stillness is a skill. It may feel uncomfortable at first. That’s okay.

Start small:
- 2 minutes of quiet in the morning
- Sit with a cup of tea and do nothing else
- Walk without headphones

Stillness reconnects you with presence — the only real antidote to always-on.

 

Summary

Switching off isn’t lazy — it’s leadership over your focus.

When you protect your off-time, you protect your brain’s capacity to think deeply, act clearly, and live fully.

Quick Recap:

- Define your version of “off”
- Use a shutdown ritual
- Honour transition zones
- Build structured catch-up space
- Practise micro-moments of stillness

See you next week. One more thought 👇

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That's it for this week. Thanks for reading, really hope this helped. Contact me if you think I can help you further at [email protected].

Happy thinking.