Is email ruining our lives, and what to do about it?

Introduction – Is email ruining our lives, and what to do about it?

Those of you my age or older will remember a time when receiving an email was exciting because it was new. It didn’t require a stamp, a trip to the post office, or several days of waiting for a reply. It was fast and instantaneous. But those were the 90s. We went to the local library, our office or, in my case, the university computer centre to check emails. We did it twice a week or so.

Things have shifted since those early days. We now have emails at home and on our phones and are contactable 24/7. 75% of Gmail users check emails from a phone. Many people who email someone expect an immediate response. Some of my friends get offended or worried when they don’t hear from me for a few days.

According to HBR, professionals check their email on average 15 times daily. There are estimates that by 2025, we will send 376.4 billion emails.

Email has become an integral part of modern life, personally and professionally. It has transformed the way we communicate and manage information. Emails are here to stay.

But there are both positives and negatives to emails. I want to spend the remainder of this article outlining the pros and cons of email and what we can do to mitigate the negatives.

The Positives

Email has many advantages over more traditional means of written communication, and I will outline some of them below.

The main advantages are Speed and Efficiency, as email allows for near-instant communication, eliminating the delays associated with traditional mail.

Emails are also cost-effective as they don’t require you to pay postage. They are free to use wherever you have internet access.

Emails allow sending the same message to hundreds of recipients simultaneously or saving message templates that you can sent repeatedly.

Emails allow sending attachments such as photos or Word documents, making them useful in an office environment or with friends who want to share photographic memories.

Emails are accessible from anywhere with Wi-Fi and do not require you to receive them at home or in the office.

The Negatives

While emails are here to stay and have several advantages over other forms of communication, there are some drawbacks to emails as well. I will outline them below.

Getting email notifications on your phone or having your email open on your PC can lead to constant interruptions while doing something else. This can distract and disrupt your focus on tasks, leading to frequent context-switching and reducing overall productivity. Checking your email for just 5 minutes, according to a University of California Irvine study, “it takes an average of 23 minutes and 15 seconds to get back to the task.” (The Muse)

Emails can also lead to information overload. The volume of emails can be overwhelming, making it challenging to prioritise and respond to important messages. Sorting through a cluttered inbox can be time-consuming.

Emails lead to you doing what is known as reactive work. You react to other people’s demands by constantly checking and responding to emails. Instead of focusing on critical, proactive tasks, individuals may spend most of their time responding to incoming messages.

Emails can also lead to a lack of focus. The constant pressure to check and respond to emails can prevent individuals from entering a state of deep focus and concentration on complex tasks.

Emails overall can lead to stress and overwhelm. The constant influx of emails can be overwhelming and lead to stress. Managing and responding to emails, particularly professionally, can be demanding.

How to prevent emails from running your day

The best tip I have for you is to set aside time each day to check and respond to your emails and do it only at that time, once a day. Make an exception only when you are waiting for something urgent. The above is why you won’t hear from me constantly. I don’t wish my life to be run by email. I want to run it myself.

Further, try and reduce the number of emails you receive and send. Unsubscribe from mailing lists and use other means of communication instead of email. If you want to meet up with someone, for example, would a quick phone call be more sensible than endless toing and froing on email?

I hope the above has given you some ideas of how to tackle email overwhelm. Already developed strategies, let me know in the comments below.

trabantbettina

Bettina Anna Trabant, Founder of Life Organised, your professional organising and decluttering service in East London. Eco-conscious minimalist and avid tea drinker,