Those who work from home know how easily we can get distracted by so many other things. It might vary from one person to the next but if you are anything like me, email can be a real source of distraction.
It feels like a catch-22 when you are a writer. You rely upon the email for various reasons. Yet the very thing you rely upon can make doing your own work difficult.
Think about all of the email you receive. You probably receive personal emails from family and friends. Then there are the blogs and newsletters you subscribe to. Many of these help in crafting your writing skills.
You might also subscribe to things that provide inspiration and motivation. Then there are the emails you receive stemming from reader’s comments and the like.
What I find myself doing throughout the day is CONSTANTLY checking email. I can’t seem to resist when the notice pops up that I have a new email waiting for me.
But I have been determined to overcome this huge distraction in my life. There are a couple of ways you can do this. One is to close out the tab for your email. Eliminating the temptation is the best way to combat it.
However, this isn’t necessarily the best option for me because there is the chance that my editor will try contacting me. So I have to keep my email open.
But even then, I have a great way to combat those distracting emails. Here is a system I developed that might help you.
I created two email folders: “To Do” and “To Read.” I try to schedule three times during the day that I check email, just in case there is an important one to respond to. I give myself about 5 or 10 minutes to scroll through my email and either answer it (only if it’s urgent or necessary), delete it, or move it.
When I move emails, they go to either my “To Do” folder or my “To Read” folder. To do means I need to answer an email or otherwise act on it. To read means just that. Then if I have time at the end of the day, when my work is complete, I will go through those files.
Sometimes when I have a particularly busy week, I save my “To Read” emails for the weekend. I give myself a time to relax and catch up.
This has eliminated the need to constantly read those emails. By removing this distraction, I feel like I am much more productive with my work.
What ideas do you have for taking care of the distractions of email?
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