HIGHLIGHT CORNER
HIGHLIGHT CORNER
The Day I Turned Off My Email Notifications( and the World Kept Spinning)
MAYELIN RODRIGUEZ
I’ ve had my work email set up on my phone for years. And while I’ m not exactly in the business of saving lives, staying connected and monitoring every blip in my inbox always felt critical.
What if a partner emailed me and I didn’ t respond immediately? What if a court order came through demanding I appear before a judge in the next 30 minutes? What if there was a surprise hearing no one told me about and opposing counsel tried to reach me, despite the fact that I’ ve never missed a hearing? All technically possible but, thankfully, not common. Still, the compulsion to be available 24 / 7 somehow became the norm. Then COVID happened, and the already-blurry lines between work and personal time completely vanished.
To be fair, I generally had a decent worklife balance( with notable exceptions, of course). But the late-night supervisor emails, client messages, and little automated notifications didn’ t exactly respect business hours. More than that, the little notification sound was stressinducing every-single-time.
As a new associate, I didn’ t feel I had the“ luxury” of delayed responses. I needed to be“ on my game”, whatever that meant. So I stayed plugged in, just in case the fate of the legal universe somehow rested on my ability to respond to a document review email at 10:47 p. m.
But over the years, I learned a few things about what boundaries are. And that sleep, it turns out, is not optional. I started to realize that just because a client or partner worked at all hours didn’ t mean I had to do the same. Still, even as I resisted the urge to reply to every after-hours ping, those notifications continued to chip away at my mental peace.
Then came the big dilemma: vacation. Do I leave the notifications on and ruin my time off? Or do I turn them off and risk the email apocalypse unfolding in my absence? The anxiety was real. I wanted to unplug completely, but felt guilty not checking in. What if I returned to a flooded inbox and an impatient colleague wondering if I’ d moved to a remote island with no Wi-Fi in the two business days I was gone? The answer was always the same: checking wasn’ t great, but not checking wasn’ t great either.
Eventually, I’ d had enough. A few years into practice, I made a bold move: I stopped answering emails outside of business hours. Earth-shattering, I know. But guess what? Most 9 p. m. emails can actually wait until 9 a. m. the next day. And brace yourself for this one: many emails can wait a whole business day. Shocking, right?
With this newfound confidence, I took the ultimate leap: I turned off my email notifications. Gone. Silent. Just like that. While I was still diligent during office hours( read: checking my inbox like it was a competitive sport), my evenings were no longer hijacked by unexpected alerts. If something was truly urgent, I could always open the app intentionally. Otherwise, peace.
Of course, this decision didn’ t come easily. It took months of second-guessing before I took the big leap. But eventually, I pulled the trigger. And I’ m pleased to report:
No one died.
I didn’ t miss any hearings.
And no once-in-a-career order was entered at 11:00 p. m. on a random Wednesday.
Total success. Even better? I was less stressed and more present. Who knew that something as simple as silencing a notification could feel so revolutionary— and actually be so transformative?
So here’ s my message for the constantly plugged-in: boundaries aren’ t just a buzzword. They’ re necessary. And yes, your email can wait until morning.
This article, part of the Health & Wellness Corner, appears in a special Highlight Corner feature this month, courtesy of the author, Mayelin Rodriguez, and the PBCBA Health & Wellness Committee.
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