Productivity Tip – My Final Post on e-Mail, for now

This is the last post in this mini-series of e-mail productivity tips, the post in the series are: check e-mail only twice a day, at the same time each day and turn off IM and social network site.

First, Time Ferriss, author of the four hours work week, who is way better than me in this productivity staff posted e-mail handling tips on his blog today, I suggest you read it.

I feel a little guilty about this series of e-mail related productivity tips – because I only follow them partially myself.

My personal e-mail box is checked just once a day, some days not at all – there is never anything urgent there and conversations with friends are better done when not preoccupied with work.

 I check my work e-mail (e-mail from coworkers) about twice a day, I discovered that if there's anything remotely urgent in there people will just call me, I actually left this mailbox unchecked for days just to see what happens – and nothing happened.

My product support mailbox is another thing, it's always open when I work and I answer e-mail there as soon as I see them, this is because providing an exceptional product with exceptional support is more important to me than my personal productivity (and I don't get a lot of support e-mail, so it doesn't take too much of my time).

But one thing is absolute, no IM or social networking except on pre-scheduled time, if I forget to close my IM program and I get a message during work time I just don't answer – there is no way you can get any meaningful work done with the constant interruptions of an IM conversation.

posted @ Tuesday, February 19, 2008 11:01 AM

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