For many years, I had one simple rule.
I don’t disturb my team until 11:15am.

No emails.
No WhatsApp.
No meetings.

Morning is for real work.
Audit thinking.
Tax judgement.
Client problem solving.
The kind of work that actually moves the business.

Last time, we even made it a policy.
“Quiet time” until 11:15am.

No calls.
No client interruptions.
Everyone focus.

Those few hours… were gold.
But somewhere along the way…

The policy didn’t break.
I broke it.

I wake up early everyday
6am, already thinking.
By 7am… ideas start coming.
Client issues.
Audit risks.
Tax positions.

Without thinking…
I start sending WhatsApp and email
Then I go for my routine.
Qigong. Gym. Running. Cycling.

I feel productive.
But one small message from the boss…
Is never “small”.
Even if I say “no rush”…

The pressure is already sent.
The brain is already activated.
The focus is already broken.

This one is dangerous.
One early message…
Can quietly reduce productivity across the whole team.

Not because of systems.
But because of behaviour.
That was my turning point.
The problem was not the team.
The problem was me.

So I made one small change.
Morning, I still write everything.
But I don’t send.
I draft.
I park.
I schedule.

After 11:15am… then only I press send.
Simple.

My team gets their quiet time back.
And I still keep my clarity.

Today, everyone talks about productivity.
AI. Automation. Systems.

But one of the most underrated tools is this…
Respect people’s uninterrupted time.

Productivity is sometimes about pushing earlier.
Sometimes… it is about holding back.

PS : Authored by Mr Koh Teck Peng, the group principal, in his personal LinkedIn post.