Can I ask you the question I have been asking myself? After a long stretch, do you still run the same morning as if you were full?
We were just in D.C. on a family trip. The flight home landed late, and I still sat down to clear a few things so the next morning would be easier. The next morning the kids needed me, and I was still empty. I was with the kids, but my head was still on the pile I had tried to finish the night before. I thought staying up to clear a few things was the responsible move. It just meant I showed up empty to a morning that already needed me.
That same move shows up at work. You get back, and the day starts itself. The messages get answered and the pile gets touched because that is the script, not because you are actually here. You tell yourself it will make the next pass easier. It does not. You keep handling things so tomorrow will be lighter, and tomorrow still gets what is left.
A tired process does not become a good process because you ran it after the late landing. The morning now starts with the pile. That is the system. The pile could have waited. The people in front of you could not.
Do not install an empty catch-up as the morning system.
Your job after a long stretch is not to close everything. It is to stop treating leftover energy as the daily start. The work can wait. The people cannot.
Perhaps try this...
Name one pile that does not need you until you are actually present. Leave it there. If the inbox moves a little slower than when you push through empty, leave it.
Where would the morning go if the catch-up had to wait?
Chet