The cursor blinks. It’s a patient, rhythmic pulse against the stark white of a new document, the only calm thing on a screen erupting with chaos. 47 unread emails, each with a subject line more urgent than the last. A cascade of notifications from a project management tool, each one a tiny digital tap on the shoulder. And the Slack icon, bouncing with a belligerent red badge showing 237 unread messages, a number that feels both impossible and depressingly normal.
Unread Emails
Slack Messages
Minutes Performing
Your day hasn’t even started; it’s been conquered. The first hour is a blur of triage, a frantic ballet of archiving, snoozing, and firing off quick, shallow responses. “Got it.” “Will look into this.” “Looping in Susan.” Each action provides a tiny, satisfying hit of accomplishment, the digital equivalent of crossing a trivial item off a to-do list. You feel busy. You feel productive. But as the caffeine haze lifts, you look back at that blinking cursor in the blank document. It hasn’t moved. You’ve spent 77 minutes performing work, not doing it.
























