Email productivity – the Quit button
Published by on May 11th, 2007 1 Comment »
I have a new productivity tool, it’s called the Mail.app Quit button.
Not only is email the most intrusive distractor of focused task completion, but it’s a grand excuse to choose not to focus. Control over tasks is about just that: control. A permanently open email client is anything but control. Emails pop in at any time and niggle at the slightly de-focused mind – you know how it is, sometimes they shout, wave their arms around, and flash their boobs until you pay them attention.
So lately I have specific email activity periods during the day. Nothing is so critical on email that it cannot wait an hour or three (be honest here, how many emails do you get in a day which absolutely have to be dealt with at the moment they arrive?), so emails are limited to one morning, one afternoon and a brief evening session daily. If things really are that important, then direct contact by phone is more likely anyway. This means chunks of time where there are no externally influenced distractions apart from the odd infrequent phone/Skype call, and returns control to me, rather than the rest of the world.
While travelling things need additional management, but the primary mantra here is: do not give up control to everyone else. A blackberry or other push-messaging device is a no-no. My trusty little K800i is more than happy and capable of accessing and operating all my email accounts, when I decide to access them, at a time that is convenient to me.
A classic example of this was on the train into London yesterday. I spent the 50 minute journey scribbling notes, ideas, and tasks in my chosen Moleskine GTD system – I must get around to posting about that, with photos – whereas the person opposite me kept being interrupted from the report they were reading, every few seconds as their Blackberry buzzed in their pocket. Never did they respond to incoming messages, merely skimmed rapidly through them and tried to return for another few seconds of report reading. They were already stressed when they started the journey, by the end their body language and breathed curses clearly demonstrated that the past 50 minutes were wasted time. I on the other hand, had five ideas of what to talk about on the next Minor Technicality, 2 ideas for blog posts (one being this), a clear list and prioritisation of the day’s tasks, and an initial concept for some podcast show graphics I need to create for next week. Wasted 50 minutes of my day? Not at all, in fact it was valuable and worthwhile thinking time. And this scenario is not uncommon.
Take control, switch it off, an hour isn’t going to hurt anyone.
One Response to “Email productivity – the Quit button”
Hi,
I don’t really agree. I think there is a need to set up podcast prod houses by those who know how to make informative, interesting, entertaining radio. I am in Australia but I know in the UK some of the best podcasts are from former BBC producers – that is people who know about telling a story with audio. I think good producers will help bring up the standard of podcasting and separate the indies from the pros and develop a real industry. Ad agencies and existing studios might know how to record some voice and stick an RSS on it but so what!
The existing broadcasters podcasts – BBC, ABC in Australia – are very popular for a reason.. they make good listening.
Gus, Sydney Australia
Welcome Gus.
>> record some voice and stick an RSS on it
When you boil it down, isn’t the process of creating and publishing a podcast just that?
What about setting up a podcast production agency with a view to creating niche subject podcasts aimed at sponsors?
Re. creating delivery platforms I still believe that it’s difficult to compete with iTunes especially when it’s usually one click to subscribe to a podcast and the podcasts are for the most part 100% up to date. By comparison, on Podshow one of my podcasts hasn’t been updated since October 2006!
>>What about setting up a podcast production agency with a view to creating niche subject podcasts aimed at sponsors?
erm… that’s what I said. I didn’t call it an agency because agencies tend to be structured to work commissions from clients, which is different to prospecting with products.
>> Re. creating delivery platforms I still believe that it’s difficult to compete with iTunes especially
Firstly, iTunes isn’t a delivery platform, it’s a directory – albeit with, allegedly, cached media content.
Secondly, the way to deal with iTunes is not to compete against them, but to work with them.
Hmmm. I agree with the email thing, I’ll probably start doing that myself. I have been a blackberry owner for about 3 years or so. The first year was hell. Then I left it in a taxi and lost it for two weeks… I loved every minute of not having it. But the thing was so damn useful with all my travelling… So I now have all notification indicators turned off, no ringing, no buzzing and it is exactly as I want it. Important clients I have get recognised and a low tone emits when they want to phone.
I’d love to know what you think about twittering…