We all do it. Yes, me too! I’m talking about wasting time. The tough part is that sometimes we don’t even know it.
Email is a big culprit of this kind of time wasting. It can feel like it comes in handy to zip over to check your inbox when you need a little procrastination on a project. But it can send precious hours down the tube if you let it.
Those notification pop-ups flying across your screen are irresistible to click on and read. Sometimes you feel like you’ve got to go take care of them right away because knowing you’ve got those things waiting for you just might kill you. It actually can create a lot of stress, knowing those messages are there and you can’t get to them right away, right?
So here’s how you can save time and get a little sanity in the process…
Check It Twice
Yep, that’s right. I recommend you check your email ONCE in the morning and ONCE in the afternoon. That’s only twice a day. I can hear your groaning now and I totally understand.
I realize this may sound a little nuts, sacrilegious even, but you can if you can limit the amount of time you spend in email, it will save you hours each week if not each day.
Most office workers spend about 14 hours a week doing emails. With this technique, if you spend one to two hours a day in email, you can cut that down to five to ten hours a week of email time.
That’s four to nine hours a week that you can use for other projects or to go home early!
To gain hours back in your schedule with this approach, you’ll need to be serious about it.
You’ll need to turn off all email notifications on your computer and your phone that might sneak in and let you know about that new emails.
This works because you lose a good bit of time when you’re always jumping in and out of a task. Each time you have to jump into a task, it takes time to reorient yourself and get going with it. If you can start a task and finish it in one sitting, you get SO much more done.
And so much more *actually* crossed off your to-do list. —Sounds like results to me!
Pick what times you want to do email.
First thing in the morning for 30 minutes? Maybe you’re most important writing or planning work is best done first. If that’s the case plan for doing email a little later in the morning, say around 10:30 am.
Then plan a time in the afternoon that works for you. 2:30 pm or 3:30 pm? You pick what works best for you.
What times will you pick? Does this sound doable? Let me know what you think about this idea in the comments.
With much love and gratitude,
I don’t know where I originally heard this quote, “Thoughts become things” but it’s always stuck with me. And, I know it’s true.
