Travis Walker is the Superintendent of Brandywine Community Schools in Michigan, a district serving approximately 1,300 students. As a leader in education, Walker manages an influx of emails daily, from teachers, staff, state officials, and community members. “It’s at least 100 emails a day,” he noted. “It’s a pretty wide variety and it’s a lot of emails.”
The Struggle: A Flooded Inbox and Blurred Boundaries
Like many education professionals, Walker found that work was following him home. Emails came in early in the morning, late at night, and even on weekends—often with expectations of an immediate reply. He explained, “I might get an email at 5 or 6 on a Saturday morning with a request for a response by 9 AM.”
With a young family at home and a heavy administrative workload, the constant flow of messages became a serious drain on his personal time and focus. Despite his best efforts to ignore them, Walker admitted that his compulsion to check and respond to email often won out.
The Solution: Inbox Pause to the Rescue
To regain control, Walker turned to Boomerang’s Inbox Pause. He set it to automatically pause his inbox from 5 PM to 5 AM daily. “I couldn’t separate myself from work. So I started using Inbox Pause to create that boundary,” he said.
Now, emails received outside of working hours are held until the next morning. If necessary, Walker can manually unpause for urgent team communications, but senders know not to expect a response until the following day. “People get an automatic reply that says I’m spending time with family and will respond the next day,” he explained. “It sets expectations for when I’ll be available, and most people are really respectful of that.”
This change has allowed him to stay more present at home without missing critical updates. He also uses Inbox Pause during the day when he needs uninterrupted time to focus. “There are times when I really need to work on something and not get distracted. If I see a message pop up, I’ll feel the need to reply. So I pause my inbox, and my team knows to call or text if it’s urgent.”
The Benefits: Better Balance, More Focus
The biggest result has been improved work-life balance. Walker says he’s more present with his family and less likely to fall into the trap of constant email monitoring. “Even though I have the urge to check, nothing will have changed since I left work. That’s helped me pick up the phone less and focus more on what’s happening at home.”
Boomerang’s automated response also informs senders that his inbox is paused, which has helped set expectations. People will reply and say, ‘I love this. How do I set it up?’
More Than a Pause: Building Healthy Communication Habits
Walker’s use of Boomerang doesn’t stop at Inbox Pause. He also relies on the recurring message feature to support consistent, proactive communication with his team.
“I send a weekly check-in form for mental health to all those directly on my team, those that I directly oversee,” he said.
By automating that message, Walker ensures the check-in is never forgotten—even during his busiest weeks. It’s a small step with a meaningful impact, reinforcing a leadership culture grounded in consistency, care, and accountability.
Boomerang has helped Travis Walker set better boundaries, focus more deeply, and be more present at home and at work. As the round-the-clock demands on school leaders—and professionals everywhere—continue to grow, Inbox Pause can be a safeguard for productivity, focus, and even well-being.
Whether you’re an education leader, executive, or simply overwhelmed by constant communication, Boomerang can help you take back control of your time—without missing what matters.
Ryan McReynolds
Natasha Case
John Mason-Smith
