Disconnect to Reconnect: Building Healthy Boundaries With Technology - Articles

For decades, construction has lagged other sectors in adopting new technologies, ranking below the agriculture industry in digital maturity¹ — but that’s changing.

Modernization is accelerating across the industry with the rise of cloud-based project management systems, mobile time tracking, and real-time financial intelligence. These tools are revolutionizing construction companies’ operations, bringing about speed, collaboration, and efficiency gains.

Yet, with progress comes pressure — the same technologies that streamline workflows can just as easily stretch boundaries. Constant connectivity may boost productivity in the short term — but over time, it can quietly chip away at clarity, focus, and mental resilience.

This article explores the psychological toll of being always on and offers practical strategies for construction financial professionals to establish healthier boundaries with technology. It also highlights how, when used wisely, technology can support mental wellbeing.

The Shift

It might seem odd that a CEO of a technology company is writing about the need to disconnect from technology. Like many tech founders, my company was created to solve a problem and help others; it was never meant to contribute to today’s mental health crisis.

The shift from paper to pixels has not only changed how we work but also when. Smartphones buzz during dinner, emails are checked over the weekend, and messages ping during bedtime routines. The expectation of constant availability has created a silent crisis: the erosion of personal time, mental space, and boundaries.

Due to this shift, I personally spend each morning meditating and make a conscious effort to disconnect from technology in the evening. I’ve seen firsthand how powerful technology can be, but I’ve also felt the strain it can place on mental space when boundaries aren’t respected.

The paradox is real: The same tools that drive construction forward can quietly pull your mental health backward — if you’re not intentional.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified workplace stress as a major contributor to mental health disorders globally.²

According to the American Psychological Association, 79% of employees experience work-related stress, and more than one-third report cognitive weariness — a key symptom of burnout.³

For construction financial professionals — who are not only responsible for financials, taxes, risk mitigation, and reporting, but also increasingly oversee IT, technology implementation, and even human resources — the scope of the role has expanded dramatically.

These professionals are no longer seen as back-office number crunchers but as strategic partners influencing multiple business areas.

To thrive in this environment, it’s essential to recognize where your role ends and where your personal wellbeing begins.

To highlight just how multidimensional and demanding the job has become, Deloitte has outlined the four key identities of financial professionals: operator, steward, catalyst, and strategist.⁴

An operator focuses on efficiency and the day-to-day management of financial operations. Boundary-setting through calendar blocking helps operators avoid reactive task-switching and create time for proactive process improvement.
A steward protects the company’s assets, ensures compliance, and mitigates risk. Clear communication of boundaries, such as limiting non-urgent after-hours messages, ensures stewards can make sound, well-rested decisions.
A catalyst drives innovation, transformation, and cultural growth. Protecting mental space by disconnecting after work can fuel the creativity and resilience required to lead change.
A strategist shapes long-term direction and aligns financial strategy with business goals. Strategists need deep focus time to reflect, model scenarios, and think ahead without constant digital distraction.

When aligned with each identity, these boundaries can enhance performance.

For construction finance teams juggling tight deadlines, budget overruns, and job-costing challenges, this stress is compounded by an always-on culture that leaves little room for recovery.

Healthy Boundaries Start With Awareness

Technology is often thought of as neutral, but how we engage with it shapes our mental landscape.

Psychologist Dr. Sherry Turkle, author of Reclaiming Conversation: The Power of Talk in a Digital Age, notes that constant digital interruptions reduce our ability to reflect, focus, and connect deeply with others.⁵

In construction finance, where precision and strategic thinking are critical, this mental fragmentation can have tangible consequences, from increased errors to reduced job satisfaction.

A 2023 Deloitte study found that 69% of Millennials and 70% of Gen Z professionals respond to work emails outside of regular work hours at least once a week. Nearly one in five Gen Zs (23%) and one in three Millennials (30%) send emails after hours as often as five days a week. These always-on habits contribute to stress, anxiety, and burnout within the workforce.⁶

The WHO classifies burnout as an occupational phenomenon characterized by emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and reduced efficacy.⁷ In other words, when disconnection feels impossible, disengagement becomes inevitable.

Practical Solutions for Setting Boundaries

There are several ways you can stave off burnout, starting with establishing practical systems and sticking to your boundaries.

Define & Defend Your Work Hours

Set clear boundaries for when your workday starts and ends. Use calendar tools to block out your away hours, turn off your notifications after hours, and use email auto-responders to signal your availability.

This is especially important when working from home — without a natural stopping point like a commute, it’s easy to keep working well past the time you should. Instead, consider a “power down” end-of-day routine to tell your brain you’re now off the clock.

Delay Emails to Respect Other’s Boundaries

Your work habits shouldn’t become someone else’s stress. If working at midnight fits your schedule, that’s fine — just be mindful of others’ downtime.

Instead of sending that email immediately, use your email platform’s built-in tools to schedule it for the next business day. This helps prevent your team from feeling pressured to respond immediately and reinforces the boundaries you’re trying to set.

Lead the Way by Modeling Boundaries

Leadership has the power to normalize disconnection. As a CFO, vice president, controller, or finance manager, consider the following:

Avoid sending non-urgent messages outside of business hours
Take and respect paid time off — don’t check in
Celebrate team members who model healthy boundaries

Employee stress levels drop significantly when leaders model disconnection.⁸

Establish Clear Communication Norms

Set expectations about what constitutes an emergency. Develop internal guidelines that distinguish between urgent, important, and non-urgent communication. Consider:

A shared understanding of response time for email and messaging platforms
A clear “do not disturb” protocol for off-hours and vacations
Respect for time zones and family commitments

Build a Culture That Protects Mental Space

Create space for mental recovery as part of your culture. This could include:

Refraining from having meetings on Fridays or during the afternoons
Scheduling deep work time with a “focus mode” status
Utilizing recognition programs for team members who contribute to a healthy work-life balance

As psychologist Dr. Adam Grant puts it, “you don’t have time to reflect, plan, and create if you’re always responding to others.”⁹

For construction financial professionals, reclaiming that time isn’t just good for the brain — it’s also good for business.

The Other Side of the Coin: Tech as a Tool for Wellness

While some technologies can blur boundaries, others can help reinforce them and support mental health. Here are a few categories of tools that can fit easily within the busiest construction finance schedules.

Online Therapy Platforms

Teletherapy has experienced rapid and sustained growth, driven by increased mental health awareness, advancements in technology, and the convenience of virtual access to licensed professionals. Many platforms now offer support via text, video, or voice, removing common barriers to care.

Research indicates that over 86% of users report satisfaction with their teletherapy experience.¹⁰ The broader telehealth sector is growing at an annual rate of 11.83%,¹¹ with the global telemedicine market expected to reach over $590 billion by 2032, reflecting a projected compound annual growth rate of 25.7%.¹²

These trends signal that teletherapy is not just a temporary solution but a fundamental shift in how mental health care is delivered.

Meditation & Mindfulness Apps

Several apps provide guided meditations, breathing exercises, and sleep aids that support mental wellbeing. Even a few minutes a day spent meditating can significantly reduce stress and improve focus.¹³ A 2018 study showed that regular use of mindfulness apps reduced symptoms of anxiety by 31%.¹⁴

Exercise & Movement Apps

Physical health affects mental health. There are a variety of platforms designed to encourage regular movement, which boosts endorphins and reduces stress hormones like cortisol.¹⁵

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, just 30 minutes of moderate exercise five times per week can significantly improve symptoms of depression.¹⁶

Digital Wellbeing Dashboards

Mobile tools now let individuals track usage and set app limits. These are effective in building awareness to curb mindless scrolling or late-night email habits.

Fitting These Tools Into Busy Lives

Construction finance isn’t exactly a slow-paced profession, but even the busiest professionals can integrate these tools with small, intentional steps:

Start small: A five-minute meditation during lunch or after work can reset your stress levels.
Pair wellness with routines: Listen to a guided meditation while commuting or walking.
Schedule check-ins: Check in with yourself once a week to reflect on your digital habits.
Make it social: Team up with a coworker or wellness group to stay accountable.

As Dr. Laurie Santos, a Yale psychologist and creator of The Happiness Lab podcast, notes, “If you can put in positive habits, even if they’re tiny, even if they’re baby steps, and you can get yourself to do them more and more, those are the things that are really going to impact your wellbeing oftentimes more than you expect.”¹⁷

Protect Your Mind & Your Mission

As the construction industry continues to embrace technology, it’s important to remember that our approach to managing those tools must evolve as well. Constant connectivity may feel productive in the moment, but it’s a recipe for burnout.

Reevaluate your relationship with technology and set boundaries — but also model this behavior within your teams. By doing so, you can help create a culture in which wellbeing is a strategic priority rather than an afterthought.

At the same time, you can use the same tools that sometimes cause stress to support your recovery, resilience, and growth.

Take Stock of Your Tech Habits

Ask yourself:

Am I modeling the work-life balance I’d want others to follow — including my kids or my team?
Does disconnection make me anxious? Why?
Am I using technology in a way that supports — not undermines — my mental health?

Conclusion

As construction professionals, you are responsible for building strong foundations for projects and people — don’t forget that your mental health is part of that foundation.

By learning when to disconnect, you’ll be better equipped to reconnect — with clarity, purpose, and the people who matter most.

Endnotes

Blanco, Jose Luis; Rockhill, David; Sanghvi, Aditya & Torres, Alberto. “From start-up to scale-up: Accelerating growth in construction technology.” McKinsey & Company. May 3, 2023. mckinsey.com/industries/private-capital/our-insights/from-start-up-to-scale-up-accelerating-growth-in-construction-technology.
“Mental health at work.” World Health Organization. who.int/teams/mental-health-and-substance-use/promotion-prevention/mental-health-in-the-workplace.
Abramson, Ashley. “Burnout and stress are everywhere.” American Psychological Association. January 1, 2022. apa.org/monitor/2022/01/special-burnout-stress.
“The Four Faces of the CFO.” Artsyl Technologies. artsyltech.com/blog/The-Four-Faces-of-the-CFO.
Turkle, Sherry. “Reclaiming Conversation: The Power of Talk in a Digital Age.” Penguin Press. 2015.
“2023 Gen Z and Millennial Survey.” Deloitte. 2023. cdn.motor1.com/pdf-files/deloitte-2023-genz-millennial-survey.pdf.
“Burn-out an ‘occupational phenomenon’: International Classification of Diseases.” World Health Organization. May 28, 2019. who.int/news/item/28-05-2019-burn-out-an-occupational-phenomenon-international-classification-of-diseases.
Pladdys, John. “Mitigating Workplace Burnout Through Transformational Leadership and Employee Participation in Recovery Experiences.” HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine. June 1, 2024. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11249184.
Grant, Adam. “Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know.” Viking Books. 2021.
“Does Online Therapy Work? Expert Insights & Experiences.” Talk Therapy. April 23, 2025. therapytalk.io/blogs/does-online-therapy-work-expert-insights--experiences.
Tamanna, Yasmin. “Telehealth Industry Report 2025: Market Data & Insights.” StartUs Insights. June 30, 2024. startus-insights.com/innovators-guide/telehealth-industry-report.
“Telemedicine market to be worth more than $590.9 billion by 2032.” International Travel & Health Insurance Journal.” February 27, 2023. itij.com/latest/news/telemedicine-market-be-worth-more-5909-billion-2032.
“Meditation: A simple, fast way to reduce stress.” Mayo Clinic. December 14, 2023. mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/meditation/in-depth/meditation/art-20045858.
“The many benefits of meditation.” Headspace. September 11, 2023. headspace.com/meditation/benefits.
“Exercising to relax.” Harvard Medical School. July 7, 2020. health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/exercising-to-relax.
“Depression and anxiety: Exercise eases symptoms.” Mayo Clinic. December 23, 2023. mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/in-depth/depression-and-exercise/art-20046495.
Zimmer, Eric & Santos, Laurie. “Small Steps to Happiness: The Science of Mindful Living with Laurie Santos.” The One You Feed. November 22, 2024. oneyoufeed.net/small-steps-to-happiness.