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Avoiding E-mail Addiction
By Wayne McKinnon
(613) 860-1384
One of the big problems of E-mail communications is that
E-mail can be addictive. For example, it is gratifying
to receive thanks for a job well done or for information
you forward to someone else. For the author, writing a
book is a roller coaster full of ups and downs. While
writing this book I hung on to many E-mail messages from
those who sent me positive feedback. Whenever I started
to doubt the value of the book, I read their comments
and got all fired up again.
For people working at home, E-mail may be one of their
only contacts with the outside world. For their
corporate counterparts, it can be an escape from the
office while still at one’s desk.
These little gratifications throughout the day can be
addictive. Like a kid waiting for a letter from your pen
pal, you anxiously await a new E-mail message…from
anyone!
In a corporate network you are always connected. If you
are automatically notified when a new message arrives,
you may not waste much time checking for mail (although
you may waste a great deal of time reading frivolous
messages).
When you are not connected to a network , you can waste
a lot of time dialling in to check your mail. You know
it disrupts your train of thought, but you convince
yourself that the wait for your computer to make the
modem connection really doesn't take long. You sacrifice
those precious moments to get your E-mail fix.
I realize that many people need to check in regularly
for messages so that they can reply in a timely
fashion, but for the true E-mail addicts, popping out to
the Internet just one more time to check the mail is no
different than popping just one more quarter in a slot
machine or video game.
For all those who wait with anticipation for one more
E-mail message, there are others who dread the flood of
messages they see every time they open their in-box. The
anxiety can be overwhelming: "How can I possibly get to
the bottom of this list”?.
If you do not fit either of these profiles, feel free to
skip this chapter. But if you need to stop being a slave
to E-mail, I offer the following suggestions.
Pick up the telephone or meet with someone.
If you are starving for attention or gratification,
sometimes it is best just to give in. Pick up the
telephone and get an entire conversation over with in
minutes instead of dragging it out over days. Once
satisfied, move on and get some work done so you can
have fun tonight.
Take an “E-mail Vacation”
Many tasks require a great deal of concentration. When
you are in a state of "flow,” a you can accomplished a
piece of work quickly. Like a salmon swimming upstream,
you will reach your day’s goal if you are focused, but
if you are interrupted you can slide back and not make
any progress at all.
One of the things I find effective is to turn my
telephone ringer off while I'm working on a project. By
scheduling uninterrupted time I get more accomplished.
Some times I will even pick up my notes and walk to some
other part of the building where people can't find me.
Recently my friend Arnold took a week’s vacation from
E-mail in order to complete a project. By the time he
began checking messages, many of them no longer mattered
because people had found their answers elsewhere.
As a courtesy to your correspondents, see in Chapter 6-2
of this book how to hang out your “gone fishing” sign
while on your vacation from E-mail.
Turn off your E-mail notifier.
E-mail is supposed to be ?unobtrusive, so why do you let
it interrupt you when you are busy? If your E-mail
system automatically notifies you of each incoming
message, turn that feature off when you don't want to be
distracted.
Schedule a time to check your E-mail.
Plan your day in constructive blocks of time dictated by
the type of tasks you have for that day or week. Allow
yourself to check your E-mail only after you have
completed a task. Even the biggest projects can be
broken down into smaller chunks that will give you a
sense of accomplishment.
Keep busy.
Being distracted by things you enjoy is natural. We
usually allow it to happen when we are procrastinating
on other tasks that we do not enjoy. Dive in to your
projects and keep busy. Once you are on a roll, time
will fly by and you will be less distracted by the need
to check for mail. If you have a hard time starting a
project, get a partner to help you outline your work or
to brainstorm. Just like going to the gym to work out,
you are much more likely to stick to it if you have a
partner. Use the buddy system when you hit a roadblock.
We are less likely to slack off when we have someone
else working with us who is dedicated to the task
Do not check E-mail at the end of the day.
Some people find that checking their E-mail is a good
way to wind down before leaving the office. Others find
it a terrific way to raise their stress level.
If you find that work has taken over your life, begin to
take it back by making more time for yourself.
Most peoples’ days consist a series of successes. As
they complete one thing and move on to the next, they
feel a sense of accomplishment. However, the
accomplishments of the day can be negated by starting a
new task that cannot be completed by before the end of
the day.
If you have a habit of looking at your E-mail in the
evening, make a point of ignoring it at least a few days
a week, or make a change: decide to look at it only
during working hours. Rather than thinking about work,
cut yourself loose and enjoy some down-time away from
E-mail and any other form of communication with the
office.
Move! Change your address!
The time-wasting correspondents in your life may not go
to the effort of locating you again. Be sure to notify
your truly important contacts, and remember to change
the E-mail address on your business cards and
letterhead.
Make frequent referrals.
Don't try to be all things to all people. Just because
you can do something doesn’t mean you should.
Determine what your specialties in life and work really
are. If questions come to you that are outside of your
self-determined scope, be honest with yourself and with
your contacts. Let them know. As you build your network
of contacts, you will be able to advise people where
they can go for answers. This strategy has a double
benefit:
1. You will drastically cut down on distractions
and wasted time.
2.
You will build a trust with your network of contacts.
The people you refer others to will appreciate the
business, and might return the favour when someone
requires your expertise. The people you refer will
appreciate your honesty and integrity. When they need
your particular services they’ll likely bring you their
business.
Do something drastic--delete your in-box!
If you are still completely overwhelmed, delete all of
your messages and start over.
If you need information from someone later, don't be
ashamed to ask for it-- everyone misplaces things
sometimes.
DISCLAIMER: Using this technique on a regular basis may
be detrimental to your career. Empty your in-box only to
preserve your sanity. Using his technique may not be
appropriate for some job situations, and regularly
deleting all your messages may be detrimental to your
career.
To do when you receive a message:
·
Respond with a standard reply stating that
you have received the message and it will be X days
before you will have a chance to reply in detail,
accepting or rejecting the task.
·
Can you forward it to someone else? (Be
sure to keep the sender in the loop.)
·
File messages by project, and set up a
reminder for yourself.
·
Schedule time to respond.
·
Keep your in-box organized and clean.
(This is habit-forming.)
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Wayne McKinnon
www.EffectiveCommunication.org
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