Even in all the situations you’ve listed, I still have my phone with me. If I’m going to be out of cell coverage (e.g. a plane ride, or in the countryside with

Even in all the situations you’ve listed, I still have my phone with me. If I’m going to be out of cell coverage (e.g. a plane ride, or in the countryside with spotty Internet) or simply want to be left alone, I usually plan for that in advance and do a combination of: 1) scaling back our risk exposure by rescheduling work (which requires you to have a good understanding of the business, its needs, and its timelines) and 2) shoring up the bits I feel most weary about through code, documentation, tooling, and/or contractors. The same goes for the team SMEs: reschedule where I can, crosstrain where I can’t, get headcount where none of the prior work. I’ve been on call since 1999. I had to figure out a pattern that worked for me (and my family) but wouldn’t result in a life that was boring or worse, one that I resented.