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Worked Through Thanksgiving? That’s a Burnout Red Flag, Not a Badge of Honor

Executive function coach Craig Selinger explains why answering Slack and email all holiday weekend backfires - and how high performers can reset their boundaries before December hits.

Nov 25, 2025

2 min

Craig Selinger

If your Thanksgiving weekend included answering work emails from a guest room, sneaking Slack replies between courses, or “just finishing one thing” while your family watched a movie, you’re not alone.


But Craig Selinger, an executive function coach who works with high achievers, says it’s a warning sign, not proof of commitment.


“More and more of my clients tell me they ‘took time off’ - but then admit they were checking in on everything from their phones,” Selinger says. “They come back to work exhausted, frustrated with their families, and confused about why they don’t feel refreshed.”


He doesn’t see this as a time-management failure. He sees it as a boundary failure fueled by an always-on culture.


“Old technology stayed in one place,” he explains. “A desktop in a home office was easy to walk away from. Now, work follows you onto the couch, into your in-laws’ living room, and onto the plane ride home. Unless you deliberately decide when you’re not available, the default is ‘always working, never actually off.’”


After holidays like Thanksgiving, Selinger helps clients reflect on a few key questions:

  • Did you actually have any fully work-free hours or days?
  • Did your phone stay with you during meals and family time - and did you feel pulled to check it?
  • Do you feel like you rested, or like you just changed locations while staying on call?


“If the honest answers are uncomfortable, that’s valuable data,” he says. “It means your relationship with availability needs attention.”


Instead of telling high performers to “just unplug,” Selinger works with them to redesign their availability ahead of the next holiday crunch:

  • Setting clear out-of-office messages that specify when they’ll be offline and when they’ll check in.
  • Agreeing with their team on what counts as a true emergency and which channel should be used for it.
  • Creating short, non-negotiable deep-rest windows - for example, no work apps from 5-9 p.m. on certain days, or one weekend day that’s completely work-free.


“When people see that they can set smart boundaries and still be respected and effective, that’s usually the turning point,” Selinger says. “They stop confusing constant responsiveness with real value.”


With December’s year-end push approaching, he believes now is the time for high performers to recalibrate.



“Treat this past Thanksgiving as a test run,” he suggests. “If you didn’t get the rest you needed, don’t just shrug it off. Use it as the moment you decide to draw a clearer line before the next holiday - for your performance and for the people who actually sat across the table from you.”


About the Expert

Craig Selinger is an executive function coach who works with founders, executives, families, and high-achieving students. He specializes in digital distraction, productivity, and helping people build realistic boundaries in an always-on work culture. Craig is part of the Executive Function Coaching Community at Offline.now

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Craig Selinger

Craig Selinger

Executive Function Coach, Speech-Language Pathologist, and Educational Specialist

NYC EF coach & SLP helping students & families with ADHD, autism & LD build focus, organization & communication skills.

Neuro-Affirmative ApproachesNeurodiverse LearnersExecutive FunctionSpeech-Langage PathologyEducation

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