Many people believe that the average American worker works more hours today than they did 30 years ago. Whether or not this is true, it is hard to argue with the fact that work is more accessible today, with the advent of the smartphone, than it has ever been. One can, if they so choose, work from home, the golf course, or on a family vacation, so long as there is Wifi, or a decent cell signal, and a smartphone.
This temptation sometimes gets the best of me. I can fall into the trap of checking my email 24/7 with the aim to respond quickly to the ones deserving a response. Before I know it, I can become a smartphone workaholic. In a weird and pathetic way, I can become sort of like a slave to my inbox. I have even found my moods being determined by whom was emailing me and the content of the message they were sending. If this behavior was just confined to me, it would be bad but maybe tolerable. But it is not confined to me. My smartphone workaholic behavior not only takes time away from my family, but also has an impact on the overall quality of my work. So last year I decided that enough was enough and that I need to take some action. What follows below are three ideas that I am working on. As you will see, these are a work in progress. While I haven't mastered them yet, I have committed to this action because:
- Checking my phone all the time is not healthy for me personally, and isn't the example I want to set for my kids.
- As a leader, others may copy my behavior and expect they have to respond around the clock as well.
- Email is a poor form of communication and shouldn't be my communication "go to."
- Getting off the phone and resting restores energy, creativity, and sound decision making. Wouldn't more of that be good for me personally and the team?
There are countless other reasons why I need to change, but you get the idea. So without further explanation, here are the changes I decided to make:
- Take an email hiatus on Sundays from 7 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Does the thought of going "dark" from email for a few hours give you the shakes? If so, I get it. This idea sprung from a day I spent last April at the Masters Golf tournament. There is absolutely no way to sneak a phone into Augusta. Thus, besides being the most beautifully striking piece of landscape east of the Mississippi, Augusta is a secret therapeutic sanctuary for smart phone workaholics like myself. Who knew? I think I need to visit more often. I will let my wife know this later tonight. Dr. orders honey.
12 hours apart from my smartphone "binky" made me realize the oddest thing. I could still survive without it. When I downloaded my email from the day I realized that Hoffer Plastics was still standing. Furthermore, I realized that I wasn't nearly important as my mom thinks I am. So a few weeks later I decided to try this again on the home turf. Not being able to stand it any longer, I decided to check my email mid-afternoon when the kids and wife were napping. I immediately realized that I actually missed a customer email from earlier that afternoon. Generally, I don't get such emails on Sunday so what are the odds? Would the customer ever forgive me? Thankfully, and here is the coolest part of the story, one of our sales team members had already responded to the customer and resolved the really minor question they had. Talk about a "win-win." I learned that I could take an email hiatus.
So here is where I tell you how I am crushing this goal. I wish. I still struggle immensely with checking email frequently, including Sundays. I have noticed that this is something I have to be really intentional about because I need to create some time to recharge. Believe it, or not, this post is actually kicking my own butt on this one. I need, and want, to do better with this. What about you?
- Establish a "closing time" for each workday
Here is the secret to writing effective emails: Email important responses late at night! Seriously, wait until the wee hours of the night and unload your version of "War and Peace." And while you're at it, reply all! This way you don't have to send multiple emails and everyone can see how brilliant you are! Obviously I am being sarcastic. But what about writing simple emails late in the evening, or just checking emails before you go to bed? Now I am becoming guilty again, what about you? The fact is that unplugging for a 12 hour window is not enough anymore because 5 p.m. is no longer "closing time." So given this context, when do you "close" for the day?" This isn't a rhetorical question. There is ample research on how screen time hurts our sleep. Given this reality, I decided that I need to set a time that I close for the night and begin things again the next morning.
For me, 8 p.m. makes a lot of sense because it allows me time to glance at email one last time after I put the kids down for bed. What I have observed is that, strangely, this is harder to execute when I am on the road than it is at home. What else is there to do in a hotel room after a client dinner? Sleep!!! Going to bed earlier, and quite possibly having better sleep, is a worthwhile goal. I could use a few more days where I am mentally and physically rested and I bet you can as well.
- Only delete, file, or respond to emails.
The last step deals with how I have begun to manage my inbox. I suppose this action started because I realized how the number of emails in my inbox started affecting the level of my stress. Once the total began climbing over 30, I began to freak out. Once I bypassed 50, it wasn't long before I began hyperventilating. Of course I knew how the basics with regards to managing Outlook, and I already filed certain emails into files. I am extremely Type A so organization hasn't exactly been a struggle. Even though this was true about me, I didn't like how much added stress I was feeling based on the number of emails I could see when I opened my inbox. It was like they had become a visual reminder of how busy, and in some cases, behind, I had become. Therefore, I learned that by telling my email to do something, I regain power over my inbox. When you think about it, you really only have three options when you receive an email: delete it, file it, or respond. I know this sort of observation is what my parents' desired when they sent me away to College. But notice that "sitting in your inbox" is not an option?! You have to tell your email to do something or go somewhere.
The benefits of this approach are many. First off, because I am actively managing my inbox, when I get bombarded with emails, I don't freak out. Yes, it will take some time to go through the email (I always start by deleting the no-brainers), then I read and file the applicable ones, and finally respond. But here is the catch, I have noticed that I am replying to less emails now than before starting this practice. In fact, I was tempted to include this in another point, but it probably deserves to be noted here: you don't have to reply to every email! Being email superman isn't something worth striving for. There is freedom in deleting or filing!
Final Word
I still believe that it is vital to respond quickly to leads, questions, and customer questions when they come into my inbox. I hope the above doesn't negate this. The point is that maintaining some balance is a worthy endeavor. The advent of the smartphone has made "leaving work at the office" a bit more difficult, and I am okay with this. I want to be part of something that I care about. If I didn't give a darn about what we do as a company, I wouldn't be checking my email at night, or on the weekend, in the first place! Taking time away from email, ending each day at a reasonable time, and managing my inbox to lessen stress are ways that have helped me and I hope they are beneficial to you as well.
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