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http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2008/02/18/how-to-stop-checking-e-mail-on-the-evenings-and-weekends/ -
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Peter Quinn
You have identified (and offered remedies) to an insidious workplace issue. These technologies that can liberate us, have a habit of actually sucking the "free time" out of our lives.
Since taking a leaf out of your book and practicing a more disciplined approach to email, phone calls and general interruptions my productivity has skyrocketed along with my free time. As the owner of a business I now spend mornings away from the office to concentrate on whatever is important (work ideas, thinking, exercise, my family). I usually check my emails for the first time around 11am, alerting me of any urgent actions that may be required (and usually rapidly delegated). Upon arrival at office I have already cleared my inbox and can sit down to work solidly on the most productive items on my to do list. I generally don't accept interruptions til then. Once I have completed necessary tasks, I will return calls, check with staff and do one more email check to clear the box for the day. Then its quickly out the door to my next non-work activity.
This new approach has changed my life. Now if I could find a way to implement it for my staff, I would be close to bottling workplace gold.
Any thoughts?
Another idea, which you've encouraged, it to have so much awesome stuff going down that email is the last thing you're thinking about. That's my favorite :-)
Thanks Tim,
Clay
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Hi Clay,
Point #2 is key. If people have to choose between boredom or feeling productive (even if they aren't), they'll choose the latter. Thanks for the comment!
Tim
I just bought your book over the weekend and I got to say it is pretty interesting. It only took me two days to finish. I really didn't expect much out of the book but it definitely woke me up. I'm only 17 right now but this e-mail monster is a growing problem and I have to say you pretty much made my life peaceful again.
I won't reveal any of the other things that you wrote but just keep it up.
PS. Love your blog (even the break dancing stuff).
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Hi Alan,
This is a very, very important point and will be the subject of a future post I've been planning for some time. Good call :)
Tim
Some great ideas here Tim, and not just for nights and weekends.
One problem I'm hearing more and more about (and personally experiencing): people in other time zones expecting you to work and be responsive during their time zones... to the point where work is becoming 24 hours a day. Tim's suggestions: "Check email only 2x per day", and "use an autoresponder" (to set expectations) can be the start of a great solution to that problem.
David
http://lifehacker.com/software/geek-to-live/sep... dos-272590.php
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Not at all! Lifehacker is one of the few blogs I check out regularly. Gina and team have some great material....
Tim
I'm afraid you're going to say to minimize the info intake to the point I don't need these tools, but I think a CRM is much better than just email since I can see the history of anyone I deal with, all in one spot. And with project management software I can update a to-do list for employees and clients rather than random emails where I have to restate the main topic first.
as always, your insights are valued!
~V
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Hi Victory,
I use a Palm Z22 for contacts and address book, and I use Google Docs and PBWiki for sharing documents, which acts as my CRM (or project management) tool.
Hope that helps!
Tim
I've just done the "empty your inbox" exercise Gina at Lifehacker has developed and it feels GOOD!
I'm late to the game (47) but taking focussed positive action is like getting a shot of adrenalin.
Cheers matey.
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Hi Andre,
Thanks for the comment. I'm sorry to hear this -- it seems that feelings cut both ways on the frequency issue. Some people like the more frequent postings, while others prefer the much more infrequent postings. I'm experimenting with a number of different variables right now and have some (I think) interesting posts coming up. That said, excluding a few self-indulgent posts here and there (V-day, etc.) that I need to write just to keep this entertaining for me, I'm personally quite happy with most posts.
I'd love to hear what you think is lacking specifically, as this will help me provide better content.
Cheers,
Tim
I do have one question. How do you deal with email from fans who write to give compliments on your work? Do you respond? From a fan's perspective it strengthens the bond when they get a personal response & they feel like you've read what they had to say, but it is not fair to you if you receive hundreds of those.
I ask because I am in a similar situation (although smaller volume than what you have to deal with, I am sure) and I resent the expectation of a response such emails create, even though I am of course flattered.
Outsourcing is not justified to me yet, as the volume of work would be small and sporadic, and it is not really for work - just my hobby; and frankly it feels a bit impersonal. And that's the opposite of the reason a fan would write. They want a personal touch. But still, I find this form of distraction too counter-productive.
Do you have any advice on how... not to respond... while still making your fans feel appreciated and giving them the feeling of personal touch?
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Hi IS,
This is a tough one for anyone who gets fan mail. In my case, the volume just doesn't permit me to personally respond to all, so I have my virtual assistant reply to most with a sincere thank youl. I do, however, read nearly all of them and respond to a hand full.
Hope that helps!
Tim
Jose Castro-Frenzel
Solution: Set up a personal email account completely separate from your business email, and make your friends and family use it. (Sometimes a lame excuse such as "just found out that IT is reading all of our corporate email" can help reinforce.)
This one tip (from 4HWW and/or Lifehacker?) has saved me countless hours of inattention in the past 6 months. (See point #3 above.) Best wishes!
Setting a limit to email responses is a must as well. In my company if there is more than 3 "ping pong" responses, I will either pick up the phone or walk over and talk to the person. Its just to easy for people to respond with a one line question or answer just to get it out of their Inbox or work queue.
Tim - What are you thoughts on inter-office communications, a lot of these could apply IMO. Do you think that Owners could actually setup rules in their offices such as these, and would it increase productivity or potentially anger employees?
Great post!
As all of you can see to your right, Tim is now using Twitter... What made you change your mind??
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Hi John,
LOL... here's the explanation: I disagree how most people use it compulsively and as an additional interruption. I don't allow incoming messages on Twitter, so it's more of a tool for me for sharing little updates that don't warrant a blog post.
Hope that explains it :)
Tim
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Hi Patrick,
Yes, this will be added in the next version of the site, coming up early March. Thx!
Tim
I have been trying to do both now for the past 6 months with moderate success. However, this past weekend I went with some friends to my buddy's condo for my first snowboarding (and Dairy Queen) experience. As we were leaving I was struggling with whether to bring my laptop, you know, "just in case." Well I opted not to and didn't watch any TV and it was the most relaxing (albeit physically painful) weekend I've had in a long time. When I got back yesterday and checked my email and heard the news come on, I realized just how little I missed both of them. :)
Some weekend I just don't check it. I refuse. And by monday I have over a thousand emails. What to do?
i came across your "information diet" one day and decided to take the plunge into email batching. i will tell you with no exaggeration that the first day was without a doubt the single, most productive day of my career. i now check email only at 11 and 4. checking at 4 allows me to close out anything important for that day and then create a priority list for things to handle in the morning (allowing me to not have to take my work home with me). then when i come in, i take care of that list first and knock it out. checking at 11 allows me to plan my afternoon in much the same way. i feel like i actually accomplish something at work now. i found that my biggest fear, leaving my customers hanging for a response, was actually entirely the opposite. i responded to them faster. with my 11 and 4 system, as long as they emailed before 4 they got same day service. when i checked email constantly and allowed it to pile up, i often lost track of my priorities and would not get around to replying to clients until two or three days later or until my weekly "catch up".
i cannot recommend #1 and 2 highly enough. following those two rules will solve a lot of the remaining steps on the list. a key thing to remember is that replying to an email does not have to be done immediately and often ends up on my priority list for the afternoon or following morning. if you often feel overrun by work or are taking your work home with you to catch up, i suggest trying these tips. taking the initial leap will be the hardest part but i encourage you to take it for a 3 day test. it can't be any more stressful then what you use now (which is nothing).
How do you manage in your four hour work week to add a blog post each day ?
Thanks,
Peter
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Hi Peter,
LOL... I'll take this as a sarcastic comment. The point of the 4HWW isn't at all to be idle. I abhor sloth. The entire goal is to do more of what excites you. Right now, I'm having fun with the blog, so I allocate a fair amount of my attention to it. There is no contradiction in this.
Buyakasha,
Tim
I used to pride myself on an empty in box at the end of the day. Then I got stressed because I couldn't do that. Returning from one vacation I found myself stressing several days in advance at the deluge of email I would have to deal with.
So I did something that scared me and then liberated me: the first thing I did when I got in the office was to select all several thousand emails, and delete them. All of the them. And then empty my trash bin. Gone. Buh-Bye.
I realized that if any email were so important I couldn't possibly delete it, then someone was going to send it again. The absolute worst case would be that I could have averted a disaster if I'd read just that 1 email.
But then, I trusted my team to avert disaster by themselves, and if they couldn't they'd come and grab me in person or by phone.
I had re-discovered that there is urgent and important, important but not urgent and neither urgent nor important. If something is truly urgent and important, you're going to find out about it, soon, one way or another. If something is important, but not urgent, again, they'll get back to you.
Tim's tips, and those in the 4HWW are very good refinements of that basic tactic.
So Steve, tomorrow, delete 'em all. Find a way to filter out only those that *are* truly important (e.g. from your boss, your most trusted lieutenant) and reclaim your life!
Just finished your book, very good and I like the idea. Personally I won't quit my job since I am earning good money (yes, working like a dog too). However, I am going to test your idea in Japan. I just wanna test as a foreigner with no knowledge in Japanese, am I able to use Virtual Assistant in India to build a profitable business in Japan. It should be fun.
Step 1 Today - Go to the book store to find 2 niche market
Cheers,
Allen
In one of my investment groups we have a rule for all email. The subject must list the priority, project, and particular subject. It's a little bit of a pain at first when you're used to firing off emails, but it has drastically cut down on long threads.
Do you recommend the solo route or do you side with Graham that really your chances for success are amplified if you can find a co-founder?
your fan,
Dan
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Hi Dan,
I did not have a co-founder. I don't know Paul's reasons, but there I believe it largely depends on what type of business you're trying to start. If lifestyle-driven, there are more examples of regretted partnerships than not, IMHO.
Tim
Just wanted to add my 2 cents worth to Dan and Tim's post: it might be best to have only yourself as the founder IF you are excited about what you want to achieve. If you have a partner, make sure you keep control (or give control to someone else). Nothing worse than having two heads on a horse that, at some point, might want to go in different directions.
Having said that, you definitely don't want to do this alone either. You'll want to complement your skills with "strategic partners" who can propel you to greater heights. I think Tim mentioned in 4HWW;
1.) concentrate on your strengths and find people/mentors who can make your strengths even stronger. What is your interest in this project? What are your strengths?
2.) partner up with people/companies who can shore up your weaknesses and/or do the stuff that needs to be done that you don't want or need to do (ie. accounting, order fulfillment, design...whatever it is).
Speaking of email, I just went on a four day trip to NY for Toy Fair and left my ten pound laptop at home. I have never done this before. And since the email in the hotel business center wasn't working, I didn't check email for four days! And guess what. Nothing "bad" happened. I checked email this morning. Just some junk email, a few non-urgent emails...nothing really important. Lovely. I think I'll take another 4 day email break next week and get some exciting, important stuff done that will get me closer to my dreams. Other people's requests will just have to wait a day or two.
Ciao
EJ
You probably know this already but just in case anyone is wondering I just wanted to clarify "strategic" partners would be people/companies who don't actually own any shares in your business.
They are not "partners" in the legal sense. Rather they might be vendors, outside contractors, accountants etc. who you work closely with and who help you achieve your dreams and goals. We have an excellent "strategic" partnership with a factory in China. We love working with them and, we think, vice-versa. But we don't own any shares in each other's company. It's simply an excellent working relationship that both parties nurture.
EJ
EJ - You seem to have your act together, could I kindly ping a couple of questions off of you? (Hmm how do we do this.. could you please drop me a note @ thetemp49@gmail.com, so I can contact you?)
Thanks,
Dan
I think the biggest thing that's helped me, is regrouping constantly. You have to get into the habit of asking questions, the best two for me, are is this important is it what I really need/want to do right now and can it wait? Asking these questions gets us into the habit of realizing what's important.