#Things to consider
- We cede control of our workday—and our to-do lists—to the dictates of others in pursuit of a mirage called “inbox zero.”
- Why do we feel like we owe everyone who emails us a response—and guilty if we can’t give one?
- Remember that completing meaningful work takes time—often weeks, months, or even years. Stay engaged with your meaningful work, and fend off the allure of email. It’s important to make your progress visible. You have to define a game where you make your meaningful work as addictive as email.
- Email is a near-perfect random rewards system.
- Steel yourself against idle email checking by making a ritual of jotting down tomorrow’s to-do list before you leave the office each night.
- Remember that each time you send an email, you are also sending a subtle signal that sets expectations with your colleagues, clients, and customers. If you respond to your client’s emails within 15 minutes, that client will begin to expect you to respond within 15 minutes. Be careful with your expectations.
- Email is an excellent medium for asking but an awful one for declining.
- Why do you have so much trouble saying no, even though you thought the request was so presumptuous in the first place? Don’t let a bunch of “askers” push you around.
- How many times have you started an email with, I’m sorry I couldn’t get back to you sooner but…?
#Reading log
2017-07-18: 📚 Unsubscribe was awesome. A lot of great tips and tricks about email management in that book. I incorporated a few techniques right away and I will refer back to the book later to make more improvements to my email workflow and style.
2020-07-22: This book shaped most of my email habits. It’s simply the best book on email management I know.
[[What is your meaningful work?]]
[[The negativity bias]]