Taming the Email Monster

 

Ten years ago could you have pictured yourself sitting at your desk, participating in an important conference call, simultaneously responding to emails and instant messages on your computer, while also sending a text message or an email on your cell phone or Blackberry? Yet how many of us find ourselves doing those things now on an all too regular basis?

Welcome to the digital age, where the power of instant communication means the power to completely disrupt schedules and interrupt lives in the blink of an eye. There is something totally insidious and slightly seductive about email, instant messaging and text messaging; in all cases it creates the illusion of urgency and importance because it magically and instantly pops into our lives– usually accompanied by a chipper yet slightly jarring tone – and diverts our attention from a more important task we were just settling into. Email piles up in our inboxes, creating both digital and emotional clutter, and requiring us to dig through, read, react and respond to scores of messages, most of which could wait until later; some could be ignored altogether.

How Bad Is It?

15% of Americans say they are addicted to email.

59% check email as it arrives.

43% of users sleep near their email unit to hear incoming messages.

40% consider email accessibility when they plan a trip.

83% check their email once a day while on vacation.

43% check their email first thing every morning.

19% of all drivers text message while driving

AOL & Opinion Research Corp., study 7/26/07

All of these forms of instant communication come with a curse attached; they can certainly speed up and simplify communication, but they will also completely bog down your efficiency and suck valuable time away from more important things in your life unless you take control of the situation.

Getting High on Electronic Messaging?

A recent study from the Institute of Psychiatry at the University of London suggests that your IQ falls 10 points when you're fielding constant emails, text messages, and calls, the same loss you'd experience if you missed an entire night's sleep and more than double the 4-point loss you'd have after smoking marijuana. YogaJournal, p. 22, 12/2005

Screen and Prioritize Your Electronic Messages

There is nothing magical or unique about electronic messages. They are just one more tool people use to get your attention so they can involve you in their lives. It helps to start thinking of email and other electronic communications the same way you probably already do about phone calls. When someone calls for you and you are already engaged in an important activity, you might ask the person who answers the phone to take a message and you will call back later. You probably also use caller ID to screen your calls, choosing to let voice mail pick up some calls which you will review and return later. The emphasis here is on LATER, instead of now. Not every phone call is equally important, and the same is true with emails, instant messages or text messages.

In many instances, it may be tempting to punch out a quick reply, but this may be unwise, unless the response supports an important goal of yours. Once you stop what you are doing to do something else instead, your concentration and momentum will be broken, and it will be harder to get back on track than you think it will be. According to the Synergy Institute, an average interruption consumes 10 to 20 minutes in wasted time getting back on track, not including the actual time of the interruption. Also, you may start a distracting email or text message string that could continue throughout the rest of the day.

Don’t Start the Morning with Email

Instead of opening up your Microsoft Outlook in email, set it to open with your calendar. That way you will begin the day focused on the important tasks before you, instead of jumping right in to dealing with a crowded inbox. Set regular times during the day to check email, and disable the little chimes that ring every time you receive an email. If you follow these tips, email will become a convenience to serve you, instead of a disruption to distract you.

 

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May Time Management Quick Tip – Put It in Reverse

So, your boss just handed you a major project that is due in 18 days. How can you organize the project so that it is completed on time? Simple; start at the end and work backwards. Divide the project into stages (research, outlining, writing, editing, PowerPoint design, etc.) and estimate the amount of time it will take to complete each stage. (Don’t underestimate here. Most projects take at least 20%-40% longer than you think they will at first.) Then, starting with the last stage, on your calendar lay in each stage, along with the time it will take to complete, in reverse order by working backwards from your deadline. When you arrive at stage one, you will know the date when you must begin working on the project in order to meet your deadline.