Digital Smarts - Addicted to Email

While kids are texting and chatting using various apps, most adults are still emailing. In fact, if you are in the business world, you may be expected to check your emails constantly. Recent studies show that not only do office workers spend 33% of their workday reading and writing email, but science now says there is a clear link between spending time on email and stress.

What can we do to reduce the amount of our valuable time spent checking emails? Jocelyn K Glei, an advocate of mindful productivity and the author of “Unsubscribe” says we first need to admit that email is an addictive game. She writes, “Productivity is no longer about keeping up, or keeping busy, or having it all. It’s about being deliberate and being focused. It’s about spending more time deciding and less time doing. It’s about getting really clear on what matters to you and letting the rest go. With email—as with everything else in life—you must say “no” to some opportunities, in order to say “yes” to your priorities.” Her book is full of suggestions on how to do just that.