4 Things Not To Do With Email: My Change Nation Interview With Tim Ferriss
You’ll have more time to do what you want if you choose the right time to deal with email. To keep your productivity high and your relationships strong, Tim Ferriss, author of The New York Times best-seller, The 4-Hour Workweek, offers these email “don’ts”:
Don’t check email first thing in the morning. Going into a reactive, bullet-dodging mode will immediately erase any predefined agenda that you have.
Don’t check email in real time. Set predefined times to check messages—i.e., 10 am, 2 pm and 4:30 pm.
Don’t check email when your partner is asking you to come to bed. “I’ll be right there” can easily become 2-3 hours. Structure separate home and work environments.
Don’t check email on Saturday morning. Plan the upcoming weekend on Tuesday, or you’ll default to checking email and waste a perfectly good day off.
To listen to my entire Change Nation interview with Tim Ferriss, click here.
THESE TIPS, ALTHOUGH I'M SURE I KNEW ALREADY, ARE VERY HELPFUL. I RECENTLY FINISHED READING THE 30 DAYS BOOK. SINCE THEN I BECAME INVOLVED IN 2 GROUPS I HAD MY EYE ON FOR MANY YEARS BUT FEARED. THIS WEEK WAS BEAUTIFUL, WITH THE RECOMENDATION I NEEDED TO SHOW MY SKILLS AT THE LIBRARY, AND THE CREATION OF A BRAND NEW LOCAVORE ADVOCACY GROUP IN MY AREA, I'M SO GLAD AND GRATEFUL THE 30 DAYS CONCEPT CAME TO ME. BUT, AND HERE'S IT, I ALWAYS FIND MYSELF GOING BACK TO OLD PATTERNS OF POOR TIME MANAGMENT, AND ALTHOUGH I KNOW THERE ARE IMPORTANT THINGS (FOR MY OWN PERSONAL AND SPIRITUAL BENEFIT) TO BE DONE, I START MY DAY VISITING WITH FRIENDS AND SISTER ONLINE (MY WHOLE FAMILY LIVES IN ANOTHER COUNTRY, AND ALL MY GOOD FRIENDS ARE FROM MY CHILDHOOD AND SCHOOL YEARS, AND THEY ARE ALL OVER THERE AS WELL). SO BEFORE I KNOW IT'S LUNCH TIME AND AFTER THAT I STILL HAVE TO COME BACK AND FINISHED GOING THROUGH THE INBOX.
SO I'LL TRY THIS NEW HABIT. HOPEFULY I WON'T BE ABLE TO READ ALL MY 30 DAYS DAILY EMAILS, AND I MEAN THAT IN A GOOD WAY.