When we talk about outside forces, that includes things like the Internet, email, and other things that might take your attention from the task at hand. But there is another more insidious productivity sapping appliance, the smart phone.
Much is said about time management. And it is all good. However, things like the smart phone and email impact that time management plan. You can not ever set the time when another person will send a message. You can determine when you will respond.
Let me give you an example. In the early 2000s I worked for a company called Nextel Communications. During my tenure, they were merged with Sprint. With Nextel, I received very few emails, just a couple a day. So it was natural to check these emails on a regular schedule and accomplish the intent. On the day of the merger, emails zoomed and stayed at about 30 a day. If I were to answer or accomplish each one as they arrived, that is all I would be doing. Corporate policy gave me 48 hours to respond. As smart phones (first Black Berry) came to the market, as a manager I could have had one. It was all the style back then, it made you look important. At a training class an associate asked me when I was getting one. I said never! But they are cool he said, and I agreed, so why not? I pointed at my boss in the corner of the room and said that's why. While I had 48 hours, I knew that if I had this on my hip, and I didn't immediately respond, he would call to see why. If I didn't have it on my hip, he would assume I wasn't at the computer, so no big deal. My decision was all about productivity.
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I had a scheduled time to answer email. Other more productive things then had their time as well. Flash forward to today. The smart phone is almost universal. And they are still real cool! However, do you pick it up every time in alerts you to a new message? Do you answer it on weekends or days off? If so it is impacting your productivity. Many years ago, and no I won't say how many, I worked for a fortune 500 company. It was before email, and mobile phones were for the very rich and anchored in a car or boat. Time was much less a problem, the mail from corporate came once a week. It was the number 4 retailer at the time, and my store was open 6 days a week. I worked 7 days at first. After all, it was my first store, and I wanted to prove myself. Eventually that schedule was too much. The store was closed Sunday, and I decided to stay home. All I had was my family and friends on Sunday. The result: I got just as much done, as working 7 days, I would no longer put things off to do on Sunday.
So on this Memorial Day, turn off the phone, get away from the computer. Concentrate instead on your friends and family, you will catch up tomorrow! Be productive. Set times to read email. Don't look at the phone as often as you do now, do what is important to get your job done, and done well.
Spend Wisely!
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