{"id":367,"date":"2017-02-10T17:11:37","date_gmt":"2017-02-10T17:11:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dynamicteamsolutions.org\/?p=367"},"modified":"2017-02-10T17:11:37","modified_gmt":"2017-02-10T17:11:37","slug":"stopcheckingyouremail","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev.dynamicteamsolutions.com\/index.php\/2017\/02\/10\/stopcheckingyouremail\/","title":{"rendered":"Stop Checking Your Email"},"content":{"rendered":"

Years back I mentioned to a colleague my desire to have a day of work \u2013 when everything else in the world is on hold \u2013 so that I could feel caught up.\u00a0 He laughed and expressed a shared interest in that \u201cextra\u201d time.\u00a0 Why, I wondered, if everyone I know is feeling so overwhelmed \u2013 do none of us seem to have a handle on what\u2019s causing it?\"\"<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what I\u2019ve come to realize\u2026This feeling exists because we never stop working.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

With our \u2018smart\u2019 devices we check messages, respond, and review late into the evening and first thing in the morning.\u00a0 The reason we feel ourselves fall farther and farther behind is that this constant effort actually compromises us – both personally and professionally.\u00a0 By checking email we:<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Reduce our ability to have downtime.<\/strong> To refresh, refocus, renew.\u00a0 A rested brain is more creative, resilient, and productive.\u00a0 By doing less, we actually accomplish more.<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Forget to respond.<\/strong> Reading an email while in line at the grocery store does not allow you the time (or focus) to answer a question, consult a colleague, or check your calendar.\u00a0 The result?\u00a0 You postpone it, and like many of us, neglect to review those older \u201cread\u201d emails on your next day at the office.\u00a0 Your attempts at efficiency have now delayed a response or cause it to be forgotten altogether.<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Create more intensity.<\/strong> Once we read (and respond) to a message, we have volleyed the responsibility to someone else.\u00a0 Who in turn may feel just as responsible for checking email and getting back to us quickly.\u00a0 It\u2019s like the game \u2018hot-potato\u2019.\u00a0 And all this does is increase the sense of increasing chaos and intensity.\u00a0 One of the clearest reasons for this behavior is our concern of \u2018forgetting to do it\u2019 which is most likely compounded by the fact that we are checking messages at the wrong time (as noted above).\u00a0\u00a0 We are creating our own vicious cycle of read and respond.<\/span><\/li>\n
  4. Fracture our relationships.<\/strong> By taking \u201cjust a minute\u201d to check our messages we demonstrate a lack of respect and lack of care for those around us.\u00a0 Their level of priority is literally and figuratively lowered.\u00a0 This is as true when we go to lunch with a colleague as it is when we are with a child.\u00a0 Does anyone remember the song \u201cCats in the Cradle<\/a>\u201d?\u00a0 Rather than apologizing for our busy-ness, let\u2019s try to stay in the moment \u2013 especially with friends and loved ones.<\/span><\/li>\n
  5. Affect our mood.<\/strong> When a Sunday afternoon is interrupted by worry about a client\u2019s email or the \u2018need\u2019 to respond to a colleagues questions, it impacts our ability to be in the moment.\u00a0 Instead of enjoying a spiritual connection, the sounds of nature, or the view in front of us, we are distracted by work.\u00a0 Our mood is compromised by the interruption, consequently impacting those around us.<\/span><\/li>\n
  6. Miss opportunities<\/strong>. Whether it\u2019s the \u201cfly ball\u201d that brought home the winning run or your child\u2019s first time making it all the way across the monkey bars, by looking down at your phone, or being otherwise distracted by work, you pay the price of losing these precious moments that cannot be recaptured<\/a>.\u00a0 Have you ever wondered what else you are missing?\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  7. Make excuses for other internet distractions.<\/strong> Email is our gateway drug \u2013 once we are done checking those messages, we are given to checking for others on social media, or using the internet to quickly buy or research something.\u00a0 All of this extending our time online, making us feel at work.\u00a0 Last year\u2019s viral video \u201cLook Up<\/a>\u201d put emphasis on the costs of this behavior.<\/span><\/li>\n
  8. Increase our health risks.<\/strong> Beyond the impact of blue light<\/a> on our vision, (do you know the 20\/20\/20 rule?) computer and cell phone usage is responsible for a variety of other medical issues<\/a> including stress, depression, headaches, and sleep disruption.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    So here\u2019s step one:\u00a0 Stop checking your email when you are not at work.\u00a0 Whether that means going cold-turkey or beginning a gradual shift, it is a big step in the right direction.\u00a0 And who knows?\u00a0 You may finally begin to feel caught up.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Years back I mentioned to a colleague my desire to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":368,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[5],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.dynamicteamsolutions.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/367"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.dynamicteamsolutions.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.dynamicteamsolutions.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.dynamicteamsolutions.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.dynamicteamsolutions.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=367"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dev.dynamicteamsolutions.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/367\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.dynamicteamsolutions.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/368"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.dynamicteamsolutions.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=367"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.dynamicteamsolutions.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=367"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.dynamicteamsolutions.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=367"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}