Answering emails in the evening is the means to a goal. It is an activity you can choose to engage in, but it's not a real objective. No one's goal in life, as far as I know, is to answer every email within twenty minutes. (...) The truth is, going without dessert is a means goal, as is making your bed every day, getting up at five a.m., or answering email before bed. All of these activities are means to an end. They are meant to be stepping-stones toward a more significant aim, like achieving life satisfaction or improving the world. (...) Many of us become obsessed with means goals and completely lose sight of the more important end goal that should motivate all our efforts: living a good life. Why sacrifice your mental and physical health for something that may not help you (...)?
Celeste Headlee, from Do Nothing, How to Break Away from Overworking, Overdoing, and Underliving
