Have you ever tried to kick a bad habit? Maybe your albatross was smoking, or eating junk food, or a relationship that wasn’t healthy for you. I’m in the midst of kicking a habit that feels like it has a greater lure than any drug. Perhaps you’ve heard of it, “ED”. No, not the “ED” that the commercials talk about it. This is “Email Dependency”

I didn’t realize how much time I wasted in the day refreshing my browser to check for the latest email from a colleague, friend or stranger. As a rough estimate, I spent 3 hours total a day on email – reading, sending, analyzing, laughing and cringing. That left me roughly 6 hours a day to work. Not that communicating with the world around me isn’t important, but as I recognized that email sucked time away from my communication, it also sucked away quality from that communication. Here’s what I’m doing about it.

• Limit email communication to logistics, facts and figures.
• Limit the time my email in-box is open. 15 minutes, three times a day.
• Respond to urgent emails (as often as possible) by phone.

Part of my “withdrawal” from email has meant expanding the definition of what constitutes timely response. I coach others (and practice myself) using a phrase like “I’m glad I was able to get back to you quickly!” whether I’m responding immediately, or a couple hours after the fact in my 15-minute email window. Try releasing yourself from Email Dependency, and see how much “extra” time you create for yourself! 

Mike around the United States

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Mike Faber
Phone 720-851-5208 Toll Free (outside Colorado) 877-262-2402
On the Web www.mikefaber.com