Email vs. Email

 

Wondered if time spent on reading / exchanging emails is pro productive at work?

Time spent on emails may yield good results only if they add value to your organisational goals.

Some studies reveal -

• Organizations lose around $1,250 per user in annual productivity because of time spent dealing with spam, $1,800 unnecessary emails from co-workers, $2,100 - $4,100 due to poorly written communications.

               (Tom Pisello, ITBusinessEdge.com, 12/2008)

• Almost all work emailers (88%) check their inboxes at least once a day, and most of those (70%) check at least several times a day. Thanks to the popularity of email software with an always-on feature that leaves inboxes open, nearly a quarter of work emailers say they “constantly” check their email.

 

Not only this, checking emails more often starts seeping into one's personal life. Do you hear your wife calling out to you - C'mon honey', or your kids yelling - 'dad stop bugging'.

 

• 62% of at-work email users check work email over the weekend, and 19% check it five or more times in a weekend. More than 50% said they check it on vacation, with the highest amount coming from mobile device users at 78%.

          (Statistic, 45th Annual Email Addiction Survey 2009, AOL)

 

Having said that, to make productive use of email try the following:

 

1. Check emails only thrice a day - one, after one hour of your log in time post you've planned for the rest of the day, once at about 3pm or midday and one at the end of the day before leaving.  Well there is no thumb rule !  The idea is to spend time on working effectively, to lead the game rather being led by the hamartia that email checking / exchanging adds to our lives .

 

 

 

Restrict checking email for an interval of half an hour for each time slot recommended above

 

2. Throw your blackberry away when on holiday - Well, not literally. Check only if needed.  You'd not enjoy either - holiday or work !

 

 

 

 

3. Balance your personal life. Value your relationships over being regular with your emails. Trust me, having a nudging wife is much better than having a nudging phone

 

 

 

4. And yes, stop playing ping pong on emails. Pick up that phone and speak to your colleague. This way you make more friends than foes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

( I certify that I am the author of this paper.  I have cited any sources (footnotes or endnotes) from which I used the data, ideas, theories, or words, whether quotes directly or paraphrased.  I further acknowledge that this paper has been prepared by me specifically for this blog. )