Conquer the E-mail Traffic Jam
Sherry Borsheim

“It does not take much strength to do things, but it requires a great deal of strength to decide what to do"

Elbert Hubbard

The invention of the Internet and e-mail was heralded as the modern day answer to improved communication and a more productive workplace. Today hundreds of e-mails jam our inboxes daily and dealing with the mass of communication is becoming increasingly stressful. Most of us aren’t equipped to deal with the huge surge of information inundating our inboxes.

Anxiety Attacks: Why does E-mail Cause Instant Anxiety?

Just because e-mail is sent instantly causes many senders to believe it will be read and acted on or replied to just as quickly. When you have over 100 e-mails to check each morning, this assumption can cause a great amount of anxiety. In fact, when away from their desk, many people worry about e-mails and voice mails they may have received that may need immediate attention. In fact, we’ve gotten so worked up about e-mail that 47 percent of users now take their laptops on vacation and 26 percent check their e-mail1. Now that’s anxiety over missing messages!

Rude Interruptions: Why do we let E-mail Rule our Lives?

“Everyone needs creative time. It takes a person 20 - 30 minutes to transition into deep, critical and creative thought. The average American worker is interrupted eight times an hour. Not only do they struggle to get into their creative zone, they lose productivity because they are repeating steps to retrace where they left off.”1.

Back in September 1999, American Demographics learned that a typical U.S. office worker receives over 36 e-mail interruptions during a day. We can assume that this number has only increased with time.
This obviously has a huge impact on productivity. If you’re interrupted 36 times during the course of the workday just due to e-mail and need at least 20 – 30 minutes to transition back into your deep, critical and creative thought, you’re not spending very much time in your most productive state. In fact, you might not even get to that productive state during the course of a workday.


About the Author

Sherry Borsheim, owner of Simply Productive, has been helping people to work smarter, not harder for years. She specializes in resolving paper, time and information management issues. To learn more about eliminating the paper pile-up and in vastly improving your productively, contact Simply Productive at 604-233-7076.