I stopped checking work email after 6pm and honestly? Life-changing. The first few nights I was twitchy and convinced I’d miss something urgent or look lazy. But nothing bad happened. I slept better, woke up less resentful, and felt more in control. It made me realize how much anxiety I was volunteering for. Has anyone else set a boundary like this and seen a big shift?

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Years ago, and it was such a change for the better. I'm happy for you for making it too! We spend 40+ hours every week at work. All of us deserve to have our nights, weekends and PTO to ourselves.

I have notifications muted after my hours. Better to set up that boundary and stick to it.

This is beautiful and I’m so glad you did this for yourself - you’re an inspiration!

Maybe I need to do that. Attorneys at my firm email paralegals anytime they want but we have a stupid OT policy: we been told “you should not check and respond emails after 6 PM and you should only respond urgent request emails.” If I’m not allowed to review emails after 6, how do I know if there’s an urgent request? If there’s an urgent request, I have to submit OT ticket and get it approved so I can work on the request. I constantly spend my own time reviewing emails after regular hours without getting paid because I’m so nervous I might miss anything important.

Good for you for setting the kind of boundary. I always wish I was that brave. I never am. I know how easily I could be replaced in my city so I always feel like I have to be reachable and on call.

Boundary setting--especially re email--is important for mental health in a professional setting. Not only in a legal environment.
I am glad you have proven it to yourself!

Just because it is convenient for someone to email you after-hours, does not make it mandatory for you to read and reply after-hours. When you are off the clock, you really should be. It. Is. Your. Personal. Time.

At a prior firm, the partner suggested that I create an email policy for myself and let everyone at the firm know about it (i.e., I read email at 9 AM, 1 PM and 3 PM. For anything URGENT outside of those office hours, please call me or knock on my office door).

Obviously paralegals have to pivot. I realize it's not possible to ignore email during business hours, so you could set expectations in others for your replies, but of course, pay attention to notifications and alerts to scout for critical/time-sensitive concerns.

Small changes make big shifts.

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