Thoughts

Eve * invited me to discuss her overload problem. As I sat across from her desk I frequently heard a familiar ring tone. With every ring Eve would glance at her notebook monitor.

“Eve,” I asked, “Why do you keep your e-mail notifier on?”

 “Well,” she replied, “I look at it in case someone sends me an urgent message.”

“Then, what do you do?” I asked.

“I often leave it till the evening. I do most of my e-mail after I put the kids to bed. My husband hates this.”

During our 55 minute visit Eve received 11 interrupting and distracting ring tones. Based on this, I estimate that she receives about 100 e-mails a day. While e-mail may be a very efficient communication tool, In the urgency driven culture created by this technology, e-mail is by far the least effective. The negative impact of e-mail misuse is seen in miscommunication, distractions, reduced productivity, and even legal liability.

* While the names and titles are changed. The experience is based on participants in our Overcoming Overload Workshop.

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