Email is the perfect addictive slot machine of our attention.Our brain craves something new and likes being interrupted with some notification rather than focusing on one task continuously.Email is pseudo work masquerading as real work and is not productive if handled all the time.

Email as a Slot Machine

If we plan our limited time, taking care of focusing on productive work, rather than doing unproductive 'busy' work all the time, we end up being more accurate, and careful, leading to growth and real benefits of work.

Less Time, More Focus

When we are having a narrow cognitive bandwidth, it can help us hyper-focus but is also harmful.
Tunnelling can lead us to focus on the urgent but not so important tasks immediately in front of us, which at the end of the day isn't very productive.

Tunnelling

Normally, people who are busy and stressed out on constant work, eradicate their work-life balance by bringing work home or worrying about unfinished work too much, leading to stress.
Chronically busy people feel pressed for time and are stressed out, narrowing their attention and cognitive bandwidth.

Chronically Busy

People love being busy and cannot sit idle. A study found people preferred giving themselves electric shocks rather than sitting idly all day.Smoking, for example, is habit-forming due to the same reason, having something to do, instead of being idle.

Sitting Idle

A scarcity mindset, the feeling that we have less time, is the same as having less money.We don't have space, the peace or the mental clarity to do what's right or important, so we end up doing what's urgent and stay trapped in the tunnel.

Time Scarcity

People who are checking their emails on a pre-set schedule are less stressed out than people in front of the inbox the whole day, replying to emails as they come, eventually increasing their incoming mails and avoiding real productive work.

Checking Email on Intervals

A round-up of useful sources to help you unbusy your lives

problemsolving

Problem Solving

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Health

communication

Communication

personaldevelopment

Personal Development

The glorification of busy

Let's see if this sounds familiar: You churn through the day at work under deadline pressure, racing to meetings, dashing off emails, feeling busy, purposeful and a little breathless. Yet as the end of the traditional workday draws near, you realise with a sinking feeling that you haven't even begun the big project you meant to tackle that day.

Less Time, More Focus

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Email as a Slot Machine