Evening in an office ushers in an odd tranquility. With the departure of the workforce, the daily hubbub of conversation, machine noise and human movement ceases. The scene changes to a few remaining workers who hunch over their desks absorbed in projects or quiet. The atmosphere is one of enveloping calm and deep concentration.

For an executive, evening has a different breed of quiet. Without employees, vendors, or investors filling the doorframe, it can present a moment of disconcerting emptiness. The usual distractions of the business day that so automatically structure the time disappear. No one is around to ask for input, bring up a new problem or harp on an organizational complaint.

At this moment arrives a critical choice. Always in plain view loom unsorted emails, reports, and requests beckoning executive attention. Indeed, such items require attention, and doing things that need doing does move things forward. The feeling of satisfaction that comes with checking things off a list is hard to resist.

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