No Off Switch: Why Always Being Available Is Undermining Your Leadership

How often do you truly switch off?

Not just leave the site or log off but actually stop thinking about work?

For many frontline leaders, the answer is… rarely (or even never).

Whether it’s responding to a “quick” after-hours call, running through a mental checklist at dinner, or checking emails on your day off “just in case,” this constant availability has become the norm. 

But leadership with no off switch doesn’t make you more committed and give you an edge.  It makes you vulnerable.

Vulnerable to burnout. To decision fatigue. To narrowed thinking. And, over time, to running on output alone with no space left for reflection, perspective, or growth.

What No Off Switch Leadership Really Looks Like

You know you’re in it when:

• You’re constantly mentally going through your to do list even when off site,
• You check messages before bed or during family time,
• You take calls on your RDO “just quickly”,
• You feel like if you don’t stay on top of things, something will fall apart or you will walk into something that catches you off guard on Monday morning,
• You feel guilty when you’re not being productive.

This isn’t just a time problem it’s a mental load problem. You may not be physically at work, but your brain never clocks out.

What the Science Says: Your Brain Wasn’t Built for This

One of the biggest reasons leaders stay “on” all the time?  We tell ourselves it’s working.

“I need to stay on top of things.”
“If I don’t check in, something will fall through.”
“It’s just easier if I stay across it.”

It feels like control. Like commitment. Like leadership.
But neurologically, the opposite is happening.

When we’re constantly switched on task-switching, monitoring, over-checking we’re not sharpening our edge. We’re wearing it down.

Here’s what the research shows:

• Your attention fatigues and your decisions suffer.
  When your brain is constantly filtering information and juggling demands, its ability to regulate emotions, stay focused, and make sound decisions breaks down. It’s called directed attention fatigue, and it hits hardest when we refuse to step back. 
• Task-switching hijacks your focus.
  You’re not actually multitasking, you’re moving quickly between tasks and burning mental fuel. This leads to slower thinking, more mistakes, and higher stress. 
• Creativity shuts down.
  Insight, reflection, and big-picture thinking come from your brain’s default mode network and it only activates when you're not actively focused on tasks. When you're always thinking about work, you literally shut down the system that allows for perspective, strategy, and innovation. 

So while you feel more in control when you're always across everything, the science says: You’re leading with less clarity, less insight, and less capacity to adapt.

A Better Model: Presence Over Performance

The expectation to be always available is often rooted in care wanting to support the team, stay across things, keep momentum. But real leadership isn’t about always doing, it’s about knowing when to pause.

That means:

• Choosing presence over constant productivity,
• Leading with intent and strategy, not just speed,
• Creating space to reflect and gain perspective, not just react,
• Building trust through clarity, not availability.

The leaders who create the most value long-term are those who make time to think, reset, and recalibrate not just those who continually push through.

If you know this is you, here’s 4 practical ways to start exercising your off switch (without feeling like you are dropping the ball and spending Monday morning on the back foot)

1. Schedule time not to think about work

Block 30 minutes a day no devices, no work chat, no task lists. Use this time to walk, think, listen to music, or just be. This white space is where new thinking and ideas emerge.

2. Create a shutdown cue

At the end of your shift, use a ritual to mentally close the day. It could be writing one sentence in a notebook, saying “I’ve done what I can for today,” or physically turning your phone off. Your brain responds to signals and you can teach it when to let go.

3. Set clear availability boundaries and honour them

No calls after 6pm. No emails on your day off. And if you must break them, let your team know it’s the exception, not the standard. You’re modelling self-leadership and giving others permission to do the same.

4. Use off-time for bigger thinking, not just recovery

It’s not just about rest, it's about perspective. Use time away from the noise to reflect:

• What’s working?
• What needs to shift?
• What conversations am I avoiding?

This kind of reflection is essential.

If you’re always “on,” you’re not leading, you’re surviving.
And you won’t be the only one feeling it.

The best leaders aren’t the busiest (read that again!). They’re the ones who create enough space in their minds to lead clearly, respond strategically, and grow others in the process.

You don’t need to be available 24/7 or always “on” to be valuable.

What story are you telling yourself that you need to challenge?