Update on turning e-mail addiction into GTD discipline

Ten days ago I started to try and break my e-mail addiction with a bit of operant conditioning: each day I would plan the times I would actually check my e-mail in advance -- and each time I did not check e-mail before my next "email appointment" I'd reward myself with an iTunes song.

Here's what I've learned so far:

Controlling your inattention is as important as controlling your attention.  As soon as I started to focus on exactly when I would check e-mail, that uncontrollable urge to flip over to Outlook and check it started to subside.

Rewarding yourself from the right thing is a good thing.  At $.99 a pop rewarding myself with a new song is a really cheap way to build a habit that will make me more productive and less stressed.

Stress makes you revert to old habits.  For me Tuesday this week was a travel/meeting day with no access to email. When Wednesday morning I checked e-mail the sheer volume (214 e-mails -- 5 that mattered) so unfocused me that I forgot about sticking to my plan the rest of Wednesday and Thursday.

Never say never, but always persevere.  I suppose I could expend a great deal of mental energy kicking myself in the butt for blowing off Wednesday and Thursday; instead it's more important to get back on the horse, focus on where I want to go, and keep on riding.

I happen to think that e-mail is seriously broken as a means of communication and needs to be taken out some dark night and quietly put out of its misery. But until then -- or the micro-ISV developers I hang out with find a better solution -- I'm going to stick with my iTunes for e-mail discipline routine.  Besides making me more productive, it's fun!

Comments

[Bob Walsh]

"Since I'm on dial up, I check mail manually, and I've never felt this addictive urge that seems to hit so many people."

Mary Anne - that's a key point. When email is literally a click away, it's easy to build a reward reinforcement pattern Pavlov would have been proud of. Consider yourself lucky! See this post: http://www.todoorelse.com/2006/10/turning_email_a.html

[Mary Anne Stout]

I'm very curious about why you think email is broken (other than spam.) I just checked my Eudora stats: it says I receive an average of 70 a day (but there are three mailing lists I get in digest) with a high day this month of 108, so I could easily come home from a day away to more than 200 emails. Very few of those would require immediate action, though. For me, email is infinitely better than the phone or chat because it does not interrupt me. Since I'm on dial up, I check mail manuallly, and I've never felt this addictive urge that seems to hit so many people. It works better for me than any other form of communication.