@marlinz's "Constantly fighting for structure" includes "constantly fighting against friction, because the slightest friction can become paralyzing, especially additively."
Conversely, removing distractions becomes a long-term exercise in continuous subtraction. Removing UI elements until only the essential is visible. Removing steps in workflows. Paradoxically, ADDING steps (single keystrokes) to workflows in order to reveal options in steps rather than presenting all the choices. Each reduction is tiny, but the cumulative effect—over years—is a huge reduction in stress and a huge increase in productivity throughout the day.
Much more of the day in focus. Much more of the day in flow.
For someone else's brain, context switching between a bunch of desktop apps might feel like the same cognitive burden as switching between #Emacs buffers. But for me, #OrgMode, #mu4e, and #magit have not just changed how I work.
They allow me to control how I work, with results that have been a binary, qualitative improvement.