Comments on: Email as the new slot machine: stop underearning by constantly grazing your inbox

By: Laurel at Ninth Elegy

Laurel at Ninth Elegy — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 16:54:02 +0000

This is a great idea. I do allow email to “own” me, and also checking in with the news (especially lately). I find it derails me and I’m less productive on those days. Checking emails is also perfect for procrastinators! (Uh, guilty). Thanks for alerting me to your excellent blog–I’ll keep checking in here.

By: David Wiseman

David Wiseman — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 18:29:16 +0000

I agree email can eat up the day, and sometimes it’s hard to pinpoint what productive steps occurred. On the flip side if I’m having fast productive exchanges with a client via email projects can race to the finish line while clients who answer once a day or less tend to have projects that drag.

I happen to love the thingy that pops up when an email is received & lets me know who & what the email concerns. However I just spotted this article in slashdot that indicates even this is a mind interrupting waste of time. Mikelann the article even uses your vernacular of ‘email as slot machine.’

One step I try to take is regarding communications of complex topics in emails. Too often I have found myself typing away on complex issues & after waaay too long decide email is the wrong venue. So as much as I can in this case I like to pick up the old phone & call the person. Usually the subject can be resolved in a fraction of the time.

By: Mimi

Mimi — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 16:49:39 +0000

Here Here, Mikelann!
I just read “The 4 hour work week”, and this was the number one thing I took away from that book (checking email only twice a day). I still slip up (this a.m. for example) sometimes, by checking it before I do my more important task, but limiting it to a couple or even a few times a day allows for a much more un-interrupted aday, and the ability to keep a train of thought and be more productive and focused. Looking forward to the next tip like this! : )
Mimi

By: Patti

Patti — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 16:19:26 +0000

Delegating the time-sucking, energy zapping vortex of email to your VA is another practical solution, as Mikelann and I recently learned when she was uninterrupted by all the ‘out of office’ automatic replies.

By: Kathleen Burns Kingsbury

Kathleen Burns Kingsbury — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 11:54:39 +0000

WOW. Not check email in the am with my coffee. Who would have thought this would be a radical comment!

I agree that when I write first, check email second I do get more done. Thanks for you and the women in your workshop I am going to give this a serious try starting this week.

I will let you know how it goes – or not – as I won’t be able to email in the am!
kbk

By: Bonnie

Bonnie — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 04:52:15 +0000

For Outlook users, you can adjust how often the program checks for emails. Here’s how:

With Outlook open, click on Tools> Options> then select the Mail Setup tab.

Click the “Send/Receive” button in the middle of the screen.

Under “Setting for group “All Accounts” change the time in the ‘Schedule an auto send/receive every __ minutes.”

Plug in the minutes you want then save the settings.

I’m up to 60 minutes – hoping to extend it some more BUT if I really have the need to check for new emails, I just click the “Send/Receive” button.

Hope that helps!