Does anyone actually do this: read and respond to e-mails just once or twice a day?
I've seen at least a dozen productivity experts recommend the same strategy - but I just can't imagine it increasing my productivity. Instead, I feel like it would slow me down and annoy my co-workers.
How often do you read and respond to work e-mail?
Alison Bolen is an editor at SAS, where she writes and edits content about analytics and emerging topics. Since starting at SAS in 1999, Alison has edited print publications, Web sites, e-newsletters, customer success stories and blogs. She has a bachelor’s degree in magazine journalism from Ohio University and a master’s degree in technical writing from North Carolina State University.
2 Comments
I like the idea in principle but I can't bring myself to do it. The fear that I might be leaving someone hanging is too much to bear (especially if it's someone outside the company). I have turned off any visual notification of a new email, however. I still check my inbox several times an hour, but when I'm done with a task rather than in the middle of a train of thought. Not being interrupted by the little envelope icon (or worse, the ghostly pop-up) every time I get an email helps me stay focused.
Pingback: Instant messaging at work: useful tool or useless time sink? - SAS Voices