Stop Checking Your Email More Than Twice A Day

According to a recent study by Statista, a statistics company, 33.9% of people in the U.S. check their email multiple times throughout the day. Just over 4% check their email 10 or more times per day while 4.8% check it 7 to 9 times per day. A much larger group (16.6%) check their email 4 to 6 times a day. Others either check between 1 and 3 times a day (39.0%) or not at all (1.6%). The temptation to check email is understandable. Many of us need to stay updated on projects related to our jobs. Some of us pride ourselves on returning personal emails within minutes of receiving them. And some of us simply feel more engaged when we’re perusing our email inboxes. Email is seductive. It empowers us to resolve conflicts without personally confronting people. It also gives us time to manage our image and control our messaging. Email also keeps boredom at bay (but just barely). It’s no wonder many of us develop the habit of checking our email over and over throughout the day. The problem is, doing so is a productivity killer.

 How This Bad Habit Hurts Your Productivity

Repeatedly checking your email harms your productivity in three ways. First, it interrupts your workflow. Each interruption forces your brain to switch tasks. Switching from one task to another - for example, from analyzing a spreadsheet to checking your inbox - slows you down. It destroys your momentum. Psychologists and researchers claim our brains need up to 25 minutes to regain our momentum after each distraction. Second, email leaves a mental footprint. Have you ever received an email that upset you? If so, the contents probably stuck in your mind long after you closed your email software. The message distracted you from focusing on other tasks. Now, imagine how that effect can impair your ability to work if you check your email a dozen times a day. The third way checking email over and over hurts your productivity is that it’s easy to get sucked into it. How many times have you checked for new messages, an activity that should only take a few moments, only to lose an entire hour responding to people? It’s like a time vacuum. It’s easy to lose track of how much time you spend. We’ve defined the problem and identified how it makes you less productive. Let’s now take a look at several actionable tactics you can put in place to break your “email habit.”

 Action Steps

1. Set specific times of the day to check your email. Pick two and treat them like appointments with yourself. Test different times of the morning, afternoon and evening. Track which times best complement your schedule, energy levels and workflow.

2. Keep your email software closed while you work. If you use a cloud-based service like Gmail or Yahoo Mail, do not keep it open in a browser tab.

 3. Turn off email notifications on your phone. Even if your email software is closed or your cloud-based email service is inaccessible, audible alerts that signal the arrival of new messages tempt you to check them. For many people, these notifications are irresistible. Turn them off to avoid the temptation.

4. Refrain from sending unimportant emails. The more you send, the more you’ll receive. You’ll also earn a reputation for being accessible via email, which will encourage others to needlessly reach out to you.

5. Tell others you only check email twice a day. Inform them regarding the times. Doing so will allow you to influence their expectations regarding when they should expect responses from you.

6. Identify the triggers that prompt you to compulsively check email. Do you do it when you’re bored? Are you concerned about responding late to a potential client? Do you check for messages as a way to procrastinate on tasks? Be aware of these triggers so you can alter your response to them. (We’ll talk more about triggers later.)

7. Create obstacles that make it more difficult to satisfy the triggers. For example, if you use Gmail, delete the bookmark in your browser. Or use a browser-based app like StayFocusd to block your access to the service. (Note: developing good habits is always preferable to using apps. It takes more effort, but empowers you with increased self-discipline.)

8. Develop alternative behaviors to replace the compulsion to check email. For example, if you check email as a way to procrastinate, commit to breaking that habit by working immediately on the task at hand.