Same Mistake, Same Bad Experience
December 6, 2006
I began my day yesterday by "knocking off a few e-mails." Big mistake.
I have talked about how draining and unproductive that can be at least a dozen times in Early to Rise. And yet, every month or so, feeling like I'm too far behind, I go at my overfilled e-mail basket first thing in the morning. And I get the same result: a rotten day.
Doing e-mail in the morning is bad for two reasons:
1. You immerse yourself in all sorts of trivial but annoying problems that can be (and probably will be) solved by someone else if you just leave them alone until much later in the day.
2. You rob yourself of the chance to do your most important work at a time when you have your best energy - first thing in the morning.
I could have written an article for ETR yesterday morning. I could have written a chapter for my next book. I could have edited a short story for my new collection. I could have done a lot of things.
What I did was get myself upset about stupid stuff that will mean nothing to me in five years. Gut-wrenching problems that don't need my intervention.
The day ended well, thanks to a great afternoon meeting with Whitney Information Network, Inc. And today, I came in and went right to work on writing this article for my blog.
I feel better already.
posted by M. Masterson @ 9:28 AM,
8 Comments:
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At 11:35 AM,
said...
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Very good advice!
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At 12:38 PM,
Levanah said...
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Is there anyone who has done any studies on how emails and emailing affect the brain (i.e. psychology) and how we can overcome the wasteful effects of emailing?
levanah -
At 3:42 PM,
Ruth said...
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Wow! You are right! I am currently working on breaking this nasty and unproductive habit. It's just so tempting to "just check" my email accounts in the morning. This habit hasn't worked for me in the past and I'm dedicated to actually using my most productive time of day for heading where I want to go. (well, there's a novel idea!) Those emails can just wait until later in the day, right? Send good vibes my way, okay?
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At 6:26 PM,
said...
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On the other hand, some of us have the mental dexterity to ignore the stupid stuff we don't really have time for, so we don't miss the important correspondence that truly deserves our attention. Maybe you don't get enough important input to be worth your while to read?
And for the record, first thing in the morning is a terrible time to do productive work if you're the type who wakes up slowly, and who only starts running on all 12 cylinders later in the day. Human beings are not cut from playdough with the same cookie cutter, thanks God. -
At 9:10 PM,
said...
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On the other hand, some of us have the mental dexterity to ignore the stupid stuff we don't really have time for, so we don't miss the important correspondence that truly deserves our attention. Maybe you don't get enough important input to be worth your while to read?
And for the record, first thing in the morning is a terrible time to do productive work if you're the type who wakes up slowly, and who only starts running on all 12 cylinders later in the day. Human beings are not cut from playdough with the same cookie cutter, thanks God. -
At 3:52 PM,
said...
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Well said Michael, I too find myself falling into this same situation all too often. I often find myself battling between days much like the one you described or a day where I kick myself in the pants for missing a time sensitive opportunity. However, after learning your thoughts are so much like that of my own... I have a better sense of security thinking 1.) If I miss something, it wasn't meant for me to see & 2.) On the days I do feel behind and decide to dedicate "my morning, turned all day" into cleaning up my inbox, I will be okay with doing so because now I will not do so everyday or every other day and be okay with the happenings as a result. This will help me stay on target, rather than find my self all over the board, without much to check off at the end of the day, month, year, etc.
Thanks Michael!!! -
At 9:37 PM,
said...
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Note this article about a company trying to minimize email for communication, instead turning to direct internal communication and customer communication.
http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Investing/Extra/JustSayNoToEmail.aspx?page=all -
At 6:03 PM,
Linda said...
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For someone who fills up my inbox with a lot of mail, I am surprised at your attitude toward what shows up in your inbox.
I am thoroughly enjoying your book, Confessions of a Self-Made Millionaire, and took to heart your observation about early morning inbox access. I changed the time of day I scan my inbox and it has made a world of difference.
Now I scan my inbox for most important messages and read them and act on them first, but I do it later in the day. Then I skim the remaining, not with irritation but curiosity. That's how I got on your mailing list. The exception to this practice is a phone call from someone asking me to act on something they've sent. I am disciplined enough to open that one piece of mail, do what I need to do and close Outlook.
It seems to me as one of the commenters said, it's not about the time of day. It's when are you most productive? We are indeed, thankfully, unique. Learning what works best for you is what works best. A productive day is as satisying as a great meal with fantastic wine and stimulating company.
Attitude about our tasks makes a difference in the quality of our day. It seems to me that if you take a neutral attitude toward any communication you keep yourself centered and focused. I'd say sacrifice your irritation to delegation or deletion, and smile while you're doing it!
I think the underlying question is: Am I doing and being everything that I can be today? I know I'm not when I waste precious time on endless emails. Your email inbox suggestion is a big assist in my day. And the demonstrations are showing up.
Thank you,
Linda
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