Occasionally, I just can’t help and I check my work e-mail in my off hours–sometimes it is no big deal and I can check quickly and then head off to do something else. Other times, I get sucked into the vortex of work and even though it is my own fault, I just can’t seem to stay true to my boundaries. While it may be possible to check one’s e-mail and set things aside to do later, it can also be a trap–we think we’ll just take a peek and before we know it, we are working away…
If it isn’t work that sucks me in when I check my e-mail during off hours, it is stress. The worry and stress that comes from knowing that a problem or situation or task is waiting for me when I do get back to my desk. I would have been much better off not knowing what was waiting for me so that I could fully appreciate and enjoy my time away from work.
With home businesses, it is SO easy for us to work all the time, check our e-mail and try to tend to problems and this can be incredibly exhausting. If there are no firm boundaries between when we are working and when we are not, it can also cause resentment among our family members who may get rightfully agitated that we are never fully present and “away” from work concerns.
I hate to admit it (and I probably won’t be 100% perfect at taking my own advice) but I think it is best to go cold turkey–no e-mail or work phone calls during off-work hours. Most of us do not have the sort of businesses where we are likely to experience genuine emergencies and most of the situations others are calling emergencies can still wait until we are back at work. We need to be the ones, however, to set the boundaries and keep ourselves from getting sucked into the e-mail trap.
Also: Does E-mail Eat up Your Work Day?
E-mail Organization–Organize Your Inbox