I am writing this from a screened-in porch overlooking a field of lupines and willows. Hens are roaming freely in a soft oceanic breeze and the sun is creeping up in the sky. It’s 6 am in Camden, Maine, roughly 1,000 miles away from our company HQ and my home in Columbus, Ohio. And I’m working.

As I’m writing this, I can see out of the corner of my eye the various red notification bubbles we’ve all come to know as messages demanding my attention. Really, what’s the harm in taking 5 seconds to glance and send a quick response?

One of my favorite studies, published by Barry Schwartz in his 2004 book “The Paradox of Choice,” gained quick notoriety in the consumer products industry and was a catchy headline for many articles and talks. There are well-discussed examples of the positive outcomes resulting from the reduction of choice. Costco has famously asked you to pay a membership fee for a store with fewer product choices on the shelves and somehow you still spend more money there than you do with their competitors.

Do you ever get the feeling that you just fall into your workday? Monday starts off with big intentions of being organized, prioritizing, setting aside time for the big things to get done. By that afternoon you’ve had 3 or 4 unexpected meetings and calls pop up. You’re now behind by 2 or 3 things. By Thursday you’ve put out the fires but you haven’t really touched the big item on your list with any of the meaningful, concentrated time you intended at the start of the week.