Friday Link: Tyranny of Email

The Tyranny of Email

Guidelines:

1. Turn off your email client, put your 'phone in "do not disturb".
2. Isolate yourself. Get good headphones. Warn colleagues when you're "in the zone", to minimize their interrupts.
3. Minimize meetings and schedule them to avoid three-hour windows.
4. Become self-aware about warping off and try to un-stuck yourself

I can totally agree with that, however sometimes it's just terribly difficult to stick to these guidelines. I find myself powering down Outlook every no and then for short periods, but my work brings with it an email-response-time that's just not too long. Still, we should use email the way it was invented for: a means to get someone's attention, but on terms of the receiving party. For other more immediate responses there's other means like personal contact and the phone ...
- boy did I just hear you scream on my mentioning the Greatest Disturber of All Knowledge Workers :)

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