A couple of weeks ago I blogged about the digital world endangering the reading brain, which tied back to a question about whether “deep reading” (considered the highest form of thought in society) was becoming a lost art. In the comments, I alluded to the fact that in order to get my best work done, I often have to get away from the Internet and email connections entirely - otherwise I can get too distracted by all the bits of information floating out there.
Apparently, I’m not the only one. As this Globe & Mail article referenced yesterday, it appears a similar issue has hit a lot of companies over the last few years, and now they are hitting back - companies ranging from Loblaw to Intel are not only passing restrictions on Blackberry use in the office, some are experimenting with entire e-mail free days (i.e. “no email Wednesday”) in order to re-focus employees.
There are a lot of interesting stats and notes in the article, including the Scottish research study that found most employees sitting at a computer checked their email 30-40 times per hour. It creates what one researcher calls a pattern of chronic distraction that I’m sure many of us have at least heard of from friends - responding to email can end up being the entire job.
The most powerful part of the article might be that the VP of Communications at Loblaw (whom one might speculate would depend on regular email more than most) reports to feel unburdened on email-free Wednesdays, and quite looks forward to it. Why? She has time for deeper thinking and long-term planning. There’s also quite an interesting discussion about how people (inadvertendly or not) start measuring their value based on email activity, which is a very slippery slope indeed.
This (of course) isn’t a call to do-away with electronic communication, but I’ve been sensing a growing resistance to the pervasive, “always-on” connectivity - and one that’s often coming from some unlikely sources, like the Net Generation itself. Deep reading, deep thinking, time for planning - it’s all the same issue. People feel they have either lost the time or ability to concentrate on single tasks, and the quality of some very, very important things is suffering as a consequence.
So… the million dollar question is how one manages to strike the balance between the benefits of connectivity and the costs of never-ending distractions. Self-discipline is one answer - but it’s a response that only goes so far, particularly in terms of strategy for large organizations.
Are there any stories floating out there about how companies and/or individuals have effectively responsed to (real or percieved) email overload?
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I use a handheld PC/smartphone, but I almost never set it to automatically receive e-mail. I retreive e-mail manually when and I’ve premeditated time for doing so. When in the office, focused on a project I log into Outlook only at set times. Maybe only once or twice a day (and often late in the evening or early in the morning. For minor logistical communications i.e. confirming meeting time/place, etc., between team members, I LOVE text messaging. Also, business travel is a welcome reprieve, providing time to read on airplanes and deal with electronic communications from the hotel room when I’m ready to do so. I will say, however, that FaceBook, LinkedIn and Plaxo are creating extra layers of electronic noise to deal with as lots of people seek new ways to connect without considering the implications of more “screen time.” I believe self discipline is really the only approach that makes sense. Companies need to empower, and expect, workers to manage their communications as well as their time wisely. After all, the technology is a tool, not a master.
Comment by T. Garland - February 19, 2008 11:36 am
We came across an instance in the UK in a leading investment bank. The reaction to addressing the email volume problem was one driven from a storage and compliance angle rather than a behavioural one. As we understood it, the bank applied a standard email categorisation module to the email client, meaning every email had to be categorised at point of sending. What the module did not offer as an option for “chat”. Therefore the chat migrated to the IM platform that is inherant in Banks and email volumes reduced significantly….APPARENTLY. This is more a case of the appropriate platform for each type of communication. We see it increasingly as the email client, that we are all so used to, will increasingly be configured to carry all communications in relevant silos - RSS for Blogs and Wiki feeds, IM for chat launched from the email client and email for formal structured conversations.
Comment by Ed C - February 19, 2008 2:19 pm
The thing I love about text messaging (on mobile phones) is it’s still kind of difficult. If someone takes the time to thumb out a message to me it’s likely quite important, and it will be to the point.
I am quite intrigued by the “client” idea. It’s amazing how email might just morph into a method for “formal, structured conversations”, isn’t it?
Of course, some people might argue a shift of conversations from email to IM is like getting out of the lion cage and jumping in with the tiger…
Comment by Denis - February 19, 2008 4:02 pm
I love the accepted brevity that comes with the use of a blackberry.
Or…
BB shrt msgs
Comment by Mike Dover - February 19, 2008 4:56 pm
[...] organizations are now considering email-free days, as the article points out (and we talked about here). We’ve tried to encourage our clients to adopt social media tools as an alternative to [...]
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