Getting Out from Under Your Inbox
Do you ever feel like a slave to your email?
Quite a few time-management books talk about checking emails only a few times a day, and Michael Masterson has explained how much email can be a huge time-waster. But I was a self-proclaimed multi-tasker – very proud of just how many things I could juggle at once. And I couldn’t understand why anyone wouldn’t want to be “connected” at all times.
But then a few weeks ago I found myself faced by a rapidly growing inbox, and an over-flowing to-do list. It seemed like I could spend all day on my email and still not make a dent, let alone check anything off my to-do list. It wasn’t until late in the evening when everyone else had stopped working that I would finally get anything accomplished.
It wasn’t until I started researching time-saving techniques for a Wealthy Web Writer article that, ironically enough, I realized how I was hitting the “Send/Receive” button every 5-10 minutes. Even in the middle of writing the article, I found myself flipping back to Microsoft Outlook to see what I was missing, totally losing my train of thought and distracting myself completely. And every time I did it, I would become severely overwhelmed as 10 new emails would flood in.
So finally, I caved ...
I told my fellow AWAI officemates I would only be checking my emails at 7:30AM, 11AM, and 4PM. If something couldn’t wait, I asked them to call or instant message me.
It’s been two weeks so far, and I can tell you it’s not easy to break bad habits. But I can also tell you my productivity has at least doubled, if not tripled. I find that by focusing on what I’m doing, I’m able to get through a lot more items on my “to-do” list each day. And shockingly enough, things appear to have worked themselves out in my inbox more often now, by the time I finally get to it.
If you’re considering giving it a shot, here are a couple of things I’ve learned so far …
- If you work with companies that have regular business hours (like AWAI), 4PM is too late in the day for the third check. I found I had missed a lot of urgent requests between 11 and 4.
- 4PM is too close to “closing time,” so I would end up leaving my email open the rest of night, further hampering my productivity. I’ve since adjusted my final email check to 3PM (although I still sneak a peek sometimes in the evenings, if I’m not working on anything else).
- People will stop emailing you so much when they realize you’re not answering minutes after they hit “Send” on their end. I had trained people to expect a response from me right away. (Yes, this is actually a bad thing.)
I think it’s too soon to see if I’ll be able to do this long-term. But it’s been a good experience, albeit a difficult one, taking control over my own productivity.
Have you tried anything similar … or do you have a different method to recommend?
Please share your experience!
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Rebecca, this subject so hit home that it gave me shivers. Since I work from home, I'm also one of those email-checking junkies such as yourself. I plan to give your email idea a real try.
I formed another insidious habit due to my unique blackjack dealing background. I began to pitch cards into a hat as a practice technique for dealing accuracy. No longer a dealer, I used pitching cards as a form of relaxation. But it turned into a trap where I just couldn't stop. I wasted hours of valuable time taken away from my writng/editing business.
Finally, I gave my 20+ decks of cards to a friend to hold for me, instructing her not to listen if I pleaded to give them back. After 4 years, I've resisted the urge to buy another deck.
TrueCrimeWriter – March 18, 2009 at 2:14 pm
Wow Rebecca, this article is so timely. I think I'm going to try your approach of checking emails only three times a day. Right now I can view my in box at all times, so I always know when a new email has arrived. At times I will ignore it and try to finish what I'm doing but is just too tempting to check it. I know that my productivity is suffering and I too feel like I get nothing accomplish, or at least not as much as I should. One thing I am proud of though...is that I do not check email over the weekend...no matter what! Thanks again for this article I needed it badly!
RobynB – April 1, 2009 at 5:00 pm
This was a hit home for me. Yesterday I logged on to think I was just going to do a quick check and it was hours later that I found that I had not even started on my to do list.
I decided to stop looking at email moving forward and just get to my to do list.
My emails will have to wait for now. My to do list is long misplaced and I have to get to it.
Louise
northernfire – April 9, 2009 at 3:16 pm