Canva CEO says she doesn't have email or Slack on her phone: 'When I shut my laptop, I actually tune out'

"In the age of ever-pinging Slack and Teams messages, disconnecting from work can feel impossible. Canva CEO Melanie Perkins recently shared how she logs off - and why digital boundaries are important. "I don't have email or Slack on my phone," Perkins said on Lenny's Podcast. "When I shut my laptop, I actually tune out." That doesn't mean Perkins is fully offline - she's still reachable. "If there's a real issue, I'll get an emergency call or page," she said."

"Perkins cofounded the graphic design company in 2012 with Cliff Obrecht and Cameron Adams. In over a decade of leadership, Perkins said she has learned the importance of balance. "I feel like I've developed some healthy habits over the years," she said. "Trying to delineate, I think, is really important. So when I'm working, I'm all in. And then when I'm not working, I'm all out.""

Melanie Perkins keeps email and Slack off her phone and disconnects when her laptop is closed, remaining available only for emergency calls or pages. She cofounded Canva in 2012 with Cliff Obrecht and Cameron Adams and attributes a decade of leadership with developing healthy habits and clear delineation between work and nonwork. Perkins emphasizes that giving mental space helps see the bigger picture. Other founders and CEOs also set digital boundaries, including Pavel Durov limiting phone usage to avoid distractions and Glassdoor's CEO prioritizing offline time to spend with his children.

Read at Business Insider