I used to have a serious email problem.
I checked email first thing in the morning before even getting out of bed. I checked while sitting on the toilet. I checked a zillion times throughout the day. I handled email very inefficiently. I felt obligated to give everyone an immediate response and “clear my inbox” every single day.
A friend once commented, “It’s like you’re a firefighter leaping to put out fires…except it’s not fires, it’s emails.” Sad, but true.
I have changed. A lot.
Here are some small email tweaks I’ve made…that have led to big changes in how I feel. Because of these small tweaks, I feel calmer, clearer, and smarter, with less noise and more space in my brain.
- I deleted the email app from my phone.
I also made my password extremely long, complicated, and pretty much impossible to remember. I couldn’t log in to check email on my phone, even if I wanted to. I also keep my phone on silent with all notifications turned off, pretty much all the time.
- I do not check email first thing in the morning.
Most days, I wait until around 2 pm.
Why not check in the morning? Why wait until later? Read the book Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport for the scientific explanation. But basically, in layman's terms, as soon as you start scrolling through those 547 unread emails, “attention residue” builds up in your brain. Think: sticky muddy mental goo.
As the residue builds up, your cognitive abilities become impaired. You feel stupider and slower. It’s much harder to concentrate on high-level tasks like writing, designing, complex problem solving, etc. Everything feels hard and takes longer than it should.
By avoiding email until later in the day, you avoid the dreaded “attention residue” and keep your brain clear, fresh, and sharp...for as long as possible.
- I tell people about my email policies in advance.
I tell my clients, “Hey, just a heads up, I typically check email once a day around 2 pm. I generally don’t check in the morning.” 99% of the time they say, “Cool. No problem. Thanks for letting me know.” It’s a non-issue.
If you think, “Oh, but my job isn’t like that! That would never work for me!” I urge you, again, to read the book Deep Work.
The author cites a fascinating study about a group of corporate employees who were absolutely convinced that everything would fall apart and revenue would plummet if they checked email less often. They were wrong.
- I use email templates to speed up the writing process.
I have a collection of pre-written templates that I’ve created for common scenarios: sending a quote, sending an invoice, announcing a program, etc. Templates are really helpful! No need to reinvent the wheel every time.
Templates can save you hundreds, even thousands of hours of time every year. (That’s why I include 40 email templates in my Email Class.)
- I hired someone to manage and reply to some of my emails.
She never replies “pretending to be me.” She replies as herself—as my assistant. It works beautifully.
It was hard for me to release control and let someone else handle things on my behalf. But once I got over the initial resistance, all I could think was, “Why didn’t I do this sooner?”
- I have changed my attitude about email.
I used to think, “I need to check constantly or else I will miss something important!” “If I don’t check regularly, I won’t be able to do my job and serve my clients!”
I have realized the opposite is true.
When I check email less frequently, I can actually serve my clients so much better. Because I can actually focus deeply, concentrate, complete challenging tasks, solve tricky problems, write better, and do high-caliber work.
. . .
Email is a powerful tool, just like a sharp knife or a hammer or a car.
It’s important to respect our tools and use them with care—intentionally, not mindlessly.
Email can change your life. Or, email can drain your life.
It all depends on how you choose to use it.
Ultimately, almost everything in life is optional. Sometimes, we forget this.
Checking email 25 times a day is optional. Keeping your phone in your pocket all day long is optional. Using social media is optional. Most things are optional. We often get locked into rigid patterns and think, “But I have to do it this way, this is just how it is, there is no other way.”
There is always another way.
-Alex
PS. According to the Adobe Email Usage Study, most Americans spend 5 hours per workday dealing with email. Yikes. I would love to help you cut that number in half, freeing up tons of time in your day, and freeing up hundreds of hours every year.
Join The Email Class. Learn how to write excellent emails and wonderful newsletters that people love reading. And learn how to set new policies and build healthier habits, so email doesn’t suck up an obscene amount of your time. Sign up before September 1. :)
PPS. I made a free checklist of small, simple ways to shift your relationship with technology—less screen-time, less checking and scrolling, less stress. More space to breathe. Because technology should make our lives better, not worse.