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Dear friends,
Happy fall! How are you? My favorite season has brought a flurry of activity on all fronts, and I am feeling thankful and tired in equal measure.
Lately my email inbox has been burgeoning, as some of you may have noticed. It is hard to think of another aspect of work that has been demonized as much as email, and there are countless strategies to “manage” email, some of which I’ve discussed in this blog.
One day last week I serendipitously had more time than expected to spend on email- a last-minute meeting cancellation gave me back 50 minutes- and I decided to methodically go through my inbox. I used the Yesterbox method, but instead of instantly deleting anything that was not immediately actionable, I actually read all of the (non-spam) emails. My shocking revelation is that email is . . . not so bad!
I get the table of contents for several scientific journals in my inbox, and I usually delete them, but with my extra time, I looked through the articles and found several of direct relevance to my work and others that interested me for future directions. It was undeniably useful. Similarly, I read through a thread where multiple members of a committee had “replied all” in a way that usually annoys me deeply, and I found some new information about how some of my colleagues think.
There is real decision fatigue associated with email. The volume of requests is astonishing, whether it is to schedule meetings, review manuscripts, or provide information. We all know that each decision uses some of our finite mental energy, but having a bit more time makes the thought process less taxing.
Thanks to the cancelled meeting, I spent 90 minutes on email instead of 30. I processed my email the same way as usual- putting larger tasks on my calendar, replying to simpler queries in real time, and delegating when possible. I also made a series of decisions about how to commit my time going forward. I learned two lessons. First, the number of messages in your inbox is meaningless. Emails are so heterogeneous- a single message can prompt hours of work while many can be instantly deleted. Second, email is a result, not a cause, of overwork. When we try to plow through our inboxes, what we are really trying to do is rush through our work. No wonder it’s stressful and unfulfilling!
Needless to say, I can’t regularly triple the amount of time I spend on email, and neither can you. I hope it helps you to remember that the stress associated with email is not your fault- it’s a structural problem with unrealistic work demands, that I hope we can work together to change. And maybe when you get this message in your inbox, you will have time to read it and think about one way to slow your work pace and reclaim your work satisfaction. As always, please share widely and, if you are so inclined, sign up for the blog here. Keep in touch and do share good news so I can amplify your successes!
Warmly,
Urmimala