Too much email? Go cold turkey and improve your business.
We were really interested to read Matt Cutts’ blog about this one as it kicks into life one of our real areas of interest.
People have thought for a long time that email is invasive. We know it. But Matt (of Google and SEO fame) focused and is experimenting with it. Abstaining from email is difficult enough for moderate internet users of moderate success, but for someone in his position it’s a dramatic step.
The fact is, spending more time away from email improves your efficiency dramatically. Just try to imagine how many times you check it (often idly) every day. Whether in front of your desktop, laptop or mobile (whatever they may be). Guesstimate how long it takes to check even short messages, figure out how important they really are to you and your productivity (let alone your life as a whole!), run the figures and you’ll come out with a very scary time/return number.
Check out Matt’s experiment.
Just try it. Being connected all of the time really isn’t a great thing. In fact, your business can work better without your constant interruption! It’s a great topic and well worth a look.
One of the best real-life quick-read studies on efficiency and productivity we have come across is by Tim Ferris. A successful serial entrepreneur and speaker regularly called upon by the Ivy League, his book The 4-hour Work Week: Escape the 9-5, Live Anywhere and Join the New Rich
Take a look when you’re not checking your email! 
I’m beginning to think this is starting to happen to me.
You have an amazing point there, we check email and then it just decreases our efficiency. How often do i go about checking my email and this leads me on to other websites and on and on and on. Thanks for an interesting post.
awesome and useful post.. I carry my emails with me
Interesting, since I recently did just that … bailed out of email except for my single important account, and my productivity and focus DID go up. As Frank Kern says, “shiny objects” can drag all of us off task, and there is always a new shiny object, new tool, new technique to capture our attention ….. and devour our business-building time.
Great post. At times I I have to just shut down my email so that I can focus on what I really have to do.
Excellent idea and tutorial to manage email and to improve business.Thanks for sharing.
I have been ignoring my emails for a week with great improvement to my productivity. I didn’t realize how much cognitive dissonance was being created by that red badge counter in my dock.
Just try it. Being connected all of the time really isn’t a great thing. In fact, your business can work better without your constant interruption! It’s a great topic and well worth a look.
Awesome and useful post. thanks for sharing
Excellent idea and tutorial to manage email and to improve business.Thanks for sharing.
I’m beginning to think this is starting to happen to me.
guys, this couldn’t be more true
I now have my settings applied so that mac mail only checks my mail every 1 hour when I’m working on something important….otherwise it can be a total destraction no matter where you are
thanks, Dan