Paul Woods

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Hi… my name is Paul, and I’m an email-a-holic!

[YOU SAY] Hi Paul.

Over the last few weeks I have noticed that productivity has been dropping as pesky email requests have been increasing.

After watching Robert Scoble interview Tim Ferriss the other day (author of the new book “4-Hour Work Week“… you can see the interview here)… I have decided that I am going to limit myself to checking email only twice during my work day.  Once around 11am, and once around 4pm. 

Why not check email at the start of the day?  Because it will put you straight into reactive mode for the rest of they day… when you really need to be in proactive mode to deliver on the commitments you have made.

I started the experiment today… and I feel like it has improved my productivity about two-fold, simply because I am now focusing on the things I need to get done, not the things that people need from me “urgently” (if they need it urgently, why email… why not actually call me to ensure I get the message… arrrgh… sorry, I digress).

But you know what… it is really really hard not to check your email when your new email notifications continue to pop up from Outlook.  So I turned them off, and now I don’t even feel the need to check my inbox!  I suggest you give it a shot and turn off your new email notifications…

Anyway’s… thanks Tim, and thanks Robert.  I think I might go an buy 4-Hour Work Week and see what other tips you have that will help me get more work done in less time.