Wednesday, August 06, 2008
Check your email - quick - another one might be in....!
How often do you check your email? When you install email software, such as Microsoft Outlook, it is set up to automatically check for new messages every 10 minutes. Few people change the default settings, so most people get used to emails popping into their inbox regularly throughout the day. It becomes the norm to keep on seeing that inbox grow.
But wait a mo....! When you didn't have email, did you check your postbox every 10 minutes for physical mail? Or did once, or perhaps twice a day, do?
A new study by AOL has revealed we are becoming ever more addicted to email. According to the research, almost half (46%) admit to being hooked on email. So much so that people even check their emails while in the bathroom, on a date, or even during a church service. In response, AOL recommends clearing out your inbox, getting a new email address and starting again.
But that's no answer - all that will happen is that your new email address will also get checked every few minutes, your inbox will grow and you'll find yourself checking for messages while making love.
It doesn't have to be like this. You can break free from the clutches of email.
Step One: Change the default settings on your email program to check only every four hours.
Step Two: Set up a special folder in your email program called "Action"
Step Three: When you check your emails (now every four hours) move the emails you need to deal with to the Action folder. Ignore the rest.
Step Four: Set a time in your schedule to deal with the Action folder - this is a once-a-day time, perhaps at 4pm.
Step Five: Go through the Action folder at your scheduled Action time and deal with the emails - then file them
Email addiction is nothing of the sort - it is merely an inability to take control. Most people are letting Microsoft run their daily life by accepting the nonsensical default of 10-minute checking.
And if you think this will not work - consider the case of Tim Ferris. He wrote "The 4 Hour Work Week". He only deals with emails twice a day and manages to earn a million dollar fortune and run a busy, enjoyable life without being ever-stuck to his inbox. His book demonstrates that by reducing your checking of emails you can actually increase both productivity and profit. We have all become umbilically connected to our inboxes through no reason, other than habit and assumption. We assume that our emails need immediate attention, when in fact, they do not. As I have said before, if it is really, really urgent you will get a phone call, not an email.
Labels: internet psychology
Add this story to:
| BlinkList | BlogMarks | del.icio.us | Digg | Furl | Google | LinkRoll | Lycos |
| ma.gnolia | Netscape | Newsvine | Ning | reddit | Simpy | Spurl | Squidoo | Wink |
Email this story to your friends: 
Readers' Comments:
At
August 06, 2008 8:49 AM 
Jeremy Jacobs said…
At
August 13, 2008 12:05 PM 
newmediaMike said…
At my day job, my predecessor must have followed this advice as he checked his email no more than twice in an any given business day. The result was that opportunities to quote were lost, approval stages were missed and overall communication with clients suffered. I work in a fast paced environment and even having Outlook programmed to check every 10 minutes can be too slow sometimes.
A client cannot phone back changes to a file, or phone in a graphic file.
I don't see how not checking your e mail can be productive.
At
August 13, 2008 7:15 PM Graham Jones said…
My own small study of email productivity shows that those who check LESS are MORE productive. The reason your colleague lost out was probably nothing to do with his email checking - it would only have been one component.
True, clients can't easily phone changes or phone in a graphic file. But how often is a graphic file or a change needed within, say, four hours? If it's needed more quickly, then email is not up to the job anyway.
Some of the most successful people I know in fast paced businesses, such as web design, media, graphics and IT, are those who check their email least often.
It's even worse for me Graham. Microsoft Exchange and "push" technology on my PDA gets me addicted 24/7. Best to switch off!