Checking Email...

Posted on July 01, 2010 by April Welch, One of Thousands of Performance Coaches on Noomii.

… Where does the time go?

It’s almost as if sitting in front of the computer to_ “quickly check my email”_ is code word for “Hit the time warp button & zap me with a brain-dead laser”.

As the organizer, I even fall victim to this activity with unawareness.

Advising my clients to try certain strategies is one thing, but when I find that I too am struggling, I look for creative innovative solutions to bring into the arsenal of “try this & see if it works for you” tool bag.

Standard strategies are:

• use a kitchen timer {set it for 10-15 min & when it goes off it means you’re done, get up & leave the vicinity}
• allocate a certain time of the day to check the email {morning, afternoon, evening?}
• adjust your junk mail filters to a higher sensitivity
• don’t sign up for too many eNewsletters

However, I’ve found those to be more precautionary measures. In addition to the above you can also implement:

• Folders, with categories that are appropriate to big picture topics {allowing you to “file” things for a later date}
• Focus, check email with a mission “I’m looking for any emails from …” & then only open those {don’t let the other stuff distract you}
• Establish a “read later” folder & then {here’s the key} a dedicated time to address those
• And finally, establish a “fun email” time {after kids are in bed, during 1 load of laundry on Saturday, early in the morning ~ before anyone wakes up}

The idea is to establish a more efficient use of your In-box time. If you know you need the info for the field trip from the teacher’s email or the meeting time & place your secretary sent you, then enter the danger zone of your in-box armed with the defenses of the most critical goals on your mind the entire time.

You’re in, you’re out & nobody gets hurt!

Now a new strategy I’m giving a try, due to my own recent ability to be so easily distracted {it is so much more fun to surf the Container Store® sales page than it is to pay my bills!} :

• I’m setting a day that will be a “no email day”.

For me this works out to be Sunday. So often I’ll jump on the computer while I’m waiting for the laundry to finish up or I’m ready for a break from some other chore & inevitably the Gmail page is still up from the last time I was called away from the computer. So I am instantly faced with the ‘new’ messages & drawn in by the titles or subject lines. Then before I know it, the laundry buzzer has gone off 3 hours ago & nothing else has gotten done! {because of course, I ignored the washer/dryer & kept having fun!}

My newest distraction … Facebook.

And of course, I have it set to email me when I get a new message. So, you can see where this is going, I’m immediately drawn in by the notices I receive that someone has “socialized” with me! {more on that aspect later}

I’m curious how my readers are handling their email woes ~ please be sure to leave comments & let’s get this conversation going.

• Have these tips helped?
• Have you tried it all & found something that “stuck”?
• Or, have you just completely given up on the whole thing & ignore it completely? :o)

Looking forward to hearing from you … have a Simply Organized week,

april