The way you use email can reveal sub-optimal work habits

Email. Did your blood pressure just go up reading that word?

One of the most common complaints I hear is about the inordinate amount of time people spend on emails.

I know many people whose regular routine is to spend all day in meetings, eat dinner with the family, and then get back online to “do” emails.

Since email was really gaining momentum as I entered the workforce, I have had a recurring daydream about how nice it must have been to work before email came along.

A list of 40 ‘one sentence’ email tips by Josh Spector got me thinking about how the way we use email sheds light on some of our dysfunctional work habits.

One of his tips – “Inbox zero doesn’t make you more productive – unless your job is to achieve inbox zero.”

Why do many of us want to achieve inbox zero? Here are some of the reasons I’ve heard:

• You are afraid you might miss and not respond to something important. But as Josh describes through some of his other tips, the way we respond to emails sets others’ expectations of us. “If you reply to emails immediately, you train people to expect you to reply immediately.”

• It’s measurable and able to be accomplished within a day. Success in my roles has always been difficult to measure, and it takes months or even years to see tangible results. So, it’s tempting for me to focus on measurable activity, but some activity doesn’t really yield results. Email is a tool to get my actual job done. If it becomes a focus, rather than a tool, it is a distraction.

• “They” expect you to read all of your emails. “They”, whoever they are, may expect that, but basing what you do primarily on others’ expectations can be a “freedom thief”. It’s important to prioritize and set boundaries to create a work life where you will thrive.