Productivity Tip: Don't check email too often

Are you keeping one eye on the mail notifier all day long? Hmmm... the invention of the email popup, a.k.a. "You've Got Mail", is probably the biggest cause of productivity drop in the past 2 decades. Our mind is very good at focusing on one thing at a time (yes, regardless of gender; we all know women are better at multitasking, but they're even better when focused :) so when there are constant distractions, our productivity drops.

Well, we all know this. The question is what can you do about it?

The key thing here is to remember that email should not be used for time sensitive communication. True, your boss might think otherwise, but it's your job to educate others about the same, and in return you'll be more productive. Sounds like a great deal to me!

So what does this mean in practice? First of all, check email as seldom as possible. Your rythm will depend on the type of job you are in, but for most people twice a day is more than sufficient. And tell people about your schedule and that they can call or text you if they need your attention urgently. And trust me, the world will not end.

Second of all, make sure you empty your email inbox regularly; that way you know there are no fires going on, and nothing will bite you because you weren't on top of things.

Try this, and you'll have more time to read the paper, listen to the bird sing, take a neighborhood walk, read for your kids, spend time with your spouse... oh, and of course more time to do actual real work.

- Gummi