E-mail is Making You Stupid

Entrepreneur Magazine ^ | 3/2/10 | Joe Robinson

[ruralvoter]

The research is overwhelming. Constant e-mail interruptions make you less productive, less creative and – if you’re e-mailing when you’re doing something else – just plain dumb.

Within the heart of your company, saboteurs lurk. Disguised as instruments of productivity, they are subverting your staff’s most precious resource: attention. Incessant e-mail alerts, instant messages, buzzing BlackBerrys and cell phones are decimating workplace concentration. The average information worker – basically anyone at a desk – loses 2.1 hours of productivity every day to interruptions and distractions, according to Basex, an IT research and consulting firm

[ruralvoter]

I uh, wait minute, let me just press the send button, what is that you said again? I can't remember what, hold on, what did you ask me? /s

It is called PROGRESS!!!

[christianhomeschoolmommaof3]

Well FR is the anti venom so it’s okay! :)

[Niteranger68]

E-mail is the heart of communications in my business. Phone conversations are “he said, she said” and snail-mail takes too long. Who is this fool?

[ruralvoter]

Perhaps it depends upon your type of business. My work is totally reactiive to ongoing client demands during the day. I would lose clients if I did not closely monitor and respond to emails except when I’m on deadline for a major project. This article paints a broad picture to make these general comments. One size does not fit all.

[Alberta's Child]

I agree with a lot of what he says. I turn off my e-mail when I'm doing my regular work, and check it every couple of hours or so during the day.

I think "multi-tasking" is a joke for most people. In an attempt to work on 10 different things at one time, they end up getting one of them done reasonably well and the other nine done poorly (if they finish them at all).

[freebird5850]

Forwarding to my co-workers hee hee.

[bigbob]

I would agree with respect to IM, twitter, text messages, and being tethered to a cellphone. Email is a tool, I control when I use it, and it never usurps any time unless I wish to let it.

[CodeToad]

I agree to some extent. Companies use it as an ad-hoc filing system. Instead of documented content of the company’s business, we have, “Well, I sent you an email last month about that.” “OK, I’ll go search for it.” There are bits and pieces of important information all over eMail systems that is never assembled into proper documents useful for reference.

eMail is a great tool, especially for scheduling meetings, but we’ve forgotten how to properly document anything.