A long time ago back, my assistant accidentally scheduled an email to go out at 10:15 PM (instead of 10:15 AM) and I was shocked to see how many people opened it.
I know that when most of my clients come to me they are working nights and weekends and checking email from the time they first wake up to just before bed. But, it was still disheartening to see so many people checking email on a Saturday night.
You likely know why it’s important to not check email so often. So, how can you break the email addiction? (Yes, it’s become a full fledged addiction for a lot of people).
Here are some good places to get started:
Remind yourself that you get more done when you have breaks between working. If you’re working all the time and never give your brain a chance to rest and recharge, the work that you do won’t be as good and it will take you longer to complete.
Set an alarm to remind you to turn off your phone. I fully understand the irony of using technology to break a tech habit, but it can be a useful tool (especially if you don’t have million other alerts and alarms going off.
Take baby steps. If not checking your email up until the time you go to bed makes you hyperventilate, try having the last time you check if for the day be 5 minutes before going to bed. And, spend that last 5 minutes email free. Many people will find that they can go that long without checking it. After you comfortably go that long, you can always gradually increase your email-free time.
If you’re ready to take back control of your time and break the email addiction and want more support, email me and I’d be happy to help.
