Why it’s so hard to put boundaries on our time

Technology helped to normalised the lack of boundaries in our lives. We are attached to our phones. With the lockdowns, office closures and more limited social lives have added to the norm.

• A global study shows that the average daily working time increased by 30 minutes a day in 2020.
• A UK poll found that more than 30% of remote workers find it harder to switch off from work during the pandemic.
• A similar proportion of people are working more unpaid hours.

Technological convergence, where every messaging application is available on every device, has created more freedom and flexibility around where and when we work. But it has also blurred the boundaries for knowledge workers.

This situation became more exaggerated as millions of people began working from home daily. Digitalisation enabled us to tackle work quicker and with a more constant flow of new tasks and information. It means work is never 'done.'