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What I learned by taking a month-long break from email
A periodic sabbatical
Spending a month away from email can help you question your default distractions.
Without email, you have to find other stuff to do while riding on the subway or waiting in line. Then you may realize that self-importance and the sense of urgency are not important.
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The email hibernation experiment
The email experiment works as follows:
- No logging in to any primary email accounts for the entire month.
- Setting up automatic forwarding to an assistant to ensure nothing urgent falls through the cracks.
- Setting up an auto-reply explaining the reason for the email sabbatical, the period, and ways to connect during this time.
Email is addictive
According to a 2018 survey, the average creative professional spends 5.6 hours per day checking email.
Once you make up your mind to make the mail app less accessible, it is much easier to give up email. Leave the phone outside the bedroom to help build resilience to the email habit.
Most emails aren't important
Most emails are of little value. We often remember the extraordinary, like the once-in-a-lifetime invitation, but not the ordinary - that possibly only three percent of emails are worth reading.
People's reaction
We often impose an unhealthy expectation on ourselves to respond to every email immediately.
Except for work assignments, this is unnecessary. Many people will applaud you for taking a break and find your decision inspiring.
Email makes us more passive
We expect information to come to us, rather than proactively seeking it out.
Our news email means we don't have to search it out. Our event invites mean we don't have to look into what's happening. While it is convenient, we are conditioned to become lazier.
Email as an all-in-one utility
There are so many things funneling back to email.
Without email, it can be difficult to check a doctor's appointment, RSVP to party invites, or access your bill history. Email can be a nightmare if you're trying to create boundaries.
A periodic sabbatical
Spending a month away from email can help you question your default distractions.
Without email, you have to find other stuff to do while riding on the subway or waiting in line. Then you may realize that self-importance and the sense of urgency are not important.
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Responding to emails as soon as you receive a notification gives others the impression that you’re at their beck and call. It also prevents you from reflecting on your own priorities for...
Empty your inbox daily
- Do. If the email is actionable and takes under two minutes, then do the task ASAP.
- Delegate. Forward the right tasks to the right people.
- Defer. Reply to the message at a better time.
- Delete emails that are not important or that you can delegate.
- File. Add messages that contain information you will need to your archives.
Stop CC’ing everyone
To avoid filling the email box of staff members, only CC the relevant parties. Ask your team to respond to you individually instead of using the reply-to-all button.
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Practicing financial avoidance
Whether it is about your money or a person you are not fond of, avoidance is the key to a life without unpleasant events.
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Keep track of your spending patterns
According to experts in the field, when dealing with anxiety related to checking your bank account, the best solution to manage your anxiety is by checking your bank account.
While it might hurt you, this remains the only means to help yourself get in control and start managing your money.
Make a new habit
While planning on how to better keep track of your bank account, you might want to consider methods like starting to check your account once a month.
In order to do that, it could be useful to schedule a meeting in your calendar, devoted solely to this. Other ideas might include using spreadsheets to keep track of expenses or getting an automatic tracker.
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Organize your inbox
Even though email messaging has provided us with better communication, we have a hard time managing every message that enters our inbox.
Finding better ways to organize your inbox will benefi...
Marking Emails Unread
Trying to locate an email you want to respond to can be very time-consuming.
Mark the email you want to respond to later as "unread." It is easier to find between all your other messages.
Stick to a Routine
Getting out of the habit of checking email frequently can be tough.
Check and respond to emails twice a day at a specific time. The rest of the day you can be dedicated to your work and not lose focus because of incoming messages.
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