How To Escape The Infinite Workday (+ the neuroscience of paying attention)
Your creative brain wasn’t built to answer 153 Slack messages a day. Here’s how to get it back.
Let’s be honest: We’re living in the era of the Infinite Workday.
But, it’s not impacting us in the way we might expect.
Okay yes, we are more available than ever before - there’s a never-ending amount of notifications pinging us at any (more like, every) moment. And, it’s not just during “working” hours, either; the majority of us - upwards of 90% - check our email within five minutes of waking up.
But, to me as a Creative Health Scientist, the real issue here isn’t the sheer quantity of work we’re doing. It’s the mental spillover the system has created: The meetings that run late, the “quick” Slacks after dinner, the brain that won’t shut off on a Sunday afternoon.
Basically, we’ve built a culture where the workday has no edges. And, when everything is on, nothing ever feels complete - not our tasks, our expectations, or even our sense of accomplishment.
The bigger problem is: Our creative brains aren’t built for this.
Fortunately or not, we have real cognitive limits - particularly around attention. Even so, the way we work today forces us to push past them constantly: Context switching all day, toggling between tabs and tasks, responding to messages mid-thought.
And, when our attention is constantly split, we accumulate what psychologists call attention residue - mental fragments from unfinished or rapidly switched tasks (I like to call it it mental smog). It builds with every interruption, draining our working memory, our clarity, and especially our creative spark.
This fragmentation - not the work itself - is what’s depleting us. We’ve designed our days to prize responsiveness and output. And now, we’re paying the price.
Personally, Im especially worried as a new wave of “tech optimism” promises new tools will help us “get more done in less time.” Because, more should have never been the point.
Better should be. And better - more imaginative, original, deeply human work - doesn’t happen in fractured time.
So, if we don’t fix the foundation of the Infinite Workday, we’re not just risking productivity. We’re laying the foundation for infinite burnout.
This week, I want to explore why this is more than just a productivity issue - it's a Creative Health crisis. And yes, we can reclaim our time, energy, and original thinking.
In fact, we have to - before burnout becomes the baseline.
Reimagine your most meaningful career with a retreat in the French countryside with Bonfire
Get reinspired on your career path with creativity and intention at a six-night retreat in the French countryside, designed for a transformative experience. Space is limited.
*This edition of Creative Health is sponsored by Bonfire
Double Click: The Infinite Workday Is Rewiring Our Brains (And Not In a Good Way)
We’ve all come to normalize work days like this: Back-to-back meetings, nonstop inbox pings, and a to-do list that runs in the background of our minds from the moment we wake up until we finally shut our eyes.
I recently saw a video of someone proudly (😅) claiming they wake up at 4 a.m. to respond to emails, Slack messages, and ping their assistant - just to “get ahead.” It sounded extreme, but quite honestly, it’s not unusual.
And now, we have the metrics to prove it.
In a new report from Microsoft, researchers coined the term “The Infinite Workday” to describe what’s happening across U.S. knowledge work. They found that the average worker:
Receives 117 emails a day (and 40% start answering them before 6am)
Sends 153 chat messages
Gets interrupted every 2 minutes
Spends their biologically most productive hours (10 a.m. to 2 p.m.) in meetings
This isn’t just unsustainable - it’s actively shrinking our creative capacity.
Think of it this way: Attention residue, the term coined by organizational psychologist Dr. Sophie Leroy, describes the mental fragments that stick around when we switch from one task to another without closure. Even a quick email check mid-meeting leaves traces behind, making it harder to fully focus on what’s in front of us.
Over time, those fragments accumulate. And, they do real damage to our brain’s most important creative tool: working memory, or the mental workspace that helps us hold ideas, manipulate information, and mentally "play" with complexity.
Imagine working memory as the home base for your creativity. It’s basically what allows us to connect the dots, weigh out competing concepts, and imagine something new. But, when it’s constantly overloaded - by pings, meetings, Slack messages, and mental clutter - it starts to break down.
On top of that, layer in cortisol - the stress hormone that floods our systems with every ping and urgent ask, and it gets worse.
Chronic cortisol is shown to weaken the prefrontal cortex, or the part of your brain responsible for creative problem-solving, decision-making, and emotional regulation. It also inhibits cognitive flexibility, which is the foundation of thinking creatively itself.
So, instead of thinking flexibly, we end up defaulting to the familiar. Instead of making space for new ideas, we react to what’s in front of us. This isn’t because we don’t have imagination - but because the cognitive space required to access it is hijacked.
To us at Daydreamers, this isn’t just about being busy. It’s about operating in a system that works against the conditions our creative brains need to thrive.
And increasingly, research shows that this constant, low-level cognitive strain - this fractured attention (or mental smog 🫠) is one of the core drivers of modern burnout.
Burnout isn’t always about emotional depletion. It’s also about systemic cognitive overload. It’s the exhaustion that comes from being in a perpetual state of scanning, switching, and shallow thinking - with no time to rest, synthesize, or reconnect.
Don’t worry though: This isn’t a personal failing. It’s a design flaw.
And, escaping the Infinite Workday doesn’t start with more willpower - it starts by remembering what your brain was actually built for: curiosity, presence, depth, and imagination.
We just have to give it the space to return home.
Hey there - Katina here. I’m a Creative Health Scientist, and the Co-founder & Chief Science Officer of Daydreamers. Every week, I explore the science of Creative Health - or how we can all live the most meaningful, beautiful, and creative lives.
If you're new here: Welcome. I'm so glad you found us. And if you’ve been reading for a while - thank you. I’m so grateful you’re building a creatively healthy world with us.
Eek - so, where do we go from here?
I’ll say the quiet part out loud: We’re not going back to how things were. And, maybe (maybe!?) that’s a good thing.
Right now, we’re living through a moment of massive transition - in how we work, how we communicate, and how we relate to time itself. AI is changing what tasks we prioritize. Remote and hybrid work are changing when and how we show up. And, the old measures of productivity? They’re clearly breaking down.
Which means: If there were ever a time to rewrite the rules, this would be it.
So, instead of designing our days for efficiency alone, what if we started designing them to prioritize our Creative Health?
Because creativity isn’t just a gift for talented people - it’s a biological, human system. A rhythm your brain moves through when it feels safe, spacious, and supported. And, it needs time. It needs boundaries. It needs room to wander.
Even though this is a collective problem, there are some simple ways we can begin to reclaim our own, unique creative brain. And from there, we can push back against the system overall.
Here are some foundational, scientific principles we live by at Daydreamers. Remember, all change starts small, and then it compounds.
This is where we can begin:
Use rest as a form of Creative Technology
It’s a major myth that creativity thrives in hustle. Neuroscience shows that during rest - especially moments of mind-wandering or Awe Walks - our brain activates the Default Mode Network, which supports imagination, memory consolidation, and insight. Aha moments don’t come from “hard” work; they come from quitting.Transition out of work in the Analog World
Our brain needs a signal when it’s time to switch modes. Analog rituals - like writing by hand, sketching, or stepping outside without your phone - cue our nervous system to shift gears. This is actually exactly why we give members physical, creative tools at Daydreamers - to reclaim our time and creativity.Build boundaries that enhance creativity, not squash it
Think of boundaries not as restrictions, but as containers for depth. Research shows that our creativity needs constraints to thrive. A simple shutdown ritual at the end of your day - closing your laptop, jotting down tomorrow’s tasks, or taking a walk - helps your brain release the cognitive residue that leads to burnout.Give yourself space for depth, not just quantity
Protect one uninterrupted “deep work” or “creative reset” block during your peak energy hours - even just 45 minutes. When your brain isn’t stuck in reactive mode, it can access new connections, insights, and ideas.
And, most of all: Know that you’re not broken - the system is.
So, if your brain constantly feels foggy, numb, or stuck in autopilot, that’s not a failure. That’s a signal. It’s not that you’re lazy or unmotivated. You’re just running a creative system inside a structure that wasn’t designed to support it.
But, we can all redesign it - together - with better rhythms, more space, and rituals that work with, not against, our creative brain.
To me, escaping the Infinite Workday isn’t about escaping work altogether. It’s about reclaiming the conditions your creativity needs to come alive again.
With us? Share your POV in the comments - the future of (creative) work is something we’re really excited about at DD HQ and want to hear from you!
- Katina
Daydreamers’ Co-Founder and Chief Science Officer
New here? Welcome to Daydreamers: A Gym for your Creative Health 🛸
After years of research and working with thousands of “non-artists” to strengthen their Creative Health, we’ve distilled the 3 most common creative blocks into interactive, science-backed journeys designed to get your spark back. All at your own pace.
Over the last few newsletters, we dove into deep dives around each of them: Perfectionism, Autopilot and Conformity. Read more about which one resonates the most, and come join the Daydreamers crew. It’s never been more important to strengthen your creative health - for good.
Your Creative Health Protocol 🧠
This newsletter gives you the why behind strengthening your Creative Health. Daydreamers gives you the tools to try it out in real life - here’s a taste.
Give Yourself A Mental Palate Cleanser
Takeaway: Our brain isn’t designed to shift rapidly between complex tasks without a cost. Each time we switch, we carry traces of the last task into the next, a phenomenon called attention residue. Over time, it clutters your mental workspace, making it harder to think clearly, solve problems, or be creative.
Action: A "mental palate cleanser" helps you reset. Just like we clear our taste buds between courses, we need to clear our cognitive space between tasks. Before switching tasks today, try this: Step away from your screen for 3–5 minutes. Then, do something analog: doodle by hand, stretch your body, or look out a window. This small ritual acts as a cognitive boundary - helping your brain release the previous task so you can show up fully for the next one.
Expand Your Creative Brain 🪐
Exposure to new ideas is an essential part of Creative Health. So, here’s what we’ve been enjoying, digesting, exploring and expanding - instead of doomscrolling and going down the (wrong) kind of rabbit holes.
📖 The Infinite Workday: Read the full report - Microsoft’s new report reveals how work has crept into every corner of our lives, and what that means for our focus, time, and well-being. The data backs up what we’ve all been feeling 😅
🎧 Attention Fragmentation: Jonathan Haidt on the biggest problem of our time - In this short (but potent) clip, Haidt breaks down exactly how fractured attention is eroding not just focus, but our shared reality. Watch the full video here.
💭 How inspiration works in your brain - A while back, I wrote a piece for Fast Company about how inspiration isn’t magic, it’s a biological process. Learn how to prime your brain to actually feel inspired again. TLDR; it starts with rest and relaxation.
Let’s talk in the comments: Have you felt the effects of the Infinite Workday? How are you personally (and collectively) reclaiming your time and creativity? 🤓
As always, thank you for thinking with me - and our crew at DD HQ - this week. If this post sparked anything for you, please consider liking, commenting or sharing it with someone who needs it. It’s our mission to help as many people as we can - and every form of engagement helps. Your voice is an act of creativity - and we appreciate every single one 🤎🧠🪐