Are you Addicted to Your Inbox?
September 20th, 2008
“I don’t believe in email. I’m an old-fashioned girl. I prefer calling and hanging up.”
Sarah Jessica Parker
Last year on one of the blogs I discontinued, I wrote the following and thought it would be good for all those who may suffer from the same addition I do… the addiction to read email the moment you hear the little sound your computer makes when you recieve a new message.
Here’s the post:
This is so frustrating! I have been trying to check my email for the past 2 hours with absolutely no luck! It appears that my inbox cannot connect with the server hosting my email. And I am about to go bonkers. You see, I have tons of work to get done today (yesterday was a holiday in the US) just to catch up with the week.
I have emails to check, emails to send, blog posts to write and more.
Today I realized that I’m an addict! And email junkie! Seldom a day goes by when I don’t check email first thing when I get to work and again last thing before I leave the office for the day. In fact, since I started blogging I even open up email at home and check it! I’m addicted to my inbox!
Once I realized that I could not check email today, at least not right now, I thought, there’s gotta be other things I can do besides check my email. So here I am writing a blog post about it, and hoping (praying really) that I will be reconnected soon.
It also got me thinking, just how productive can I be if I’m always online attached at the fingertips to my inbox?
After all, I have articles I can write, my magazine needs to be be proofread, bills could be paid (now there’s a thought more painful than not being able to check my email), and I have lots of files to go through and clean out.
Is there a cure? Is there an Email Addicts Anonymous group I could join? And the real question is, do I really want to?
Oh, well since I am going through withdrawal I might as well get busy and start on some of those other items on my “to do list.” Maybe I should take Sarah Jessica Parker’s advice and use the phone!
Well, at least one of the items on my list is now done for the day 
!
Entry Filed under: E-Mail, Heidi's Daily Tips
3 Comments Add your own
1. Donna Cutting | September 20th, 2008 at 2:57 pm
I could sooooooooooo relate to this post! I am right there with you – addicted to email. And now facebook. And slowly…twitter. In fact, when I have books to write, sales calls to make, etc. my assistant “yells” at me when she catches me answering her emails. LOL! If there is a 12 step group for email addicts, sign me up. On second thought, maybe not!
Oooppss! Gotta go! I’ve got mail!
2. PopArtDiva | September 20th, 2008 at 6:09 pm
I check my e-mail first thing in the morning and last thing at night every day. Occasionally I’ll check a few times during the day if I’m waiting for something important.
If you run an online business it’s just a good idea to stay on top of things.
To keep myself on schedule and focused on the tasks at hand I do not allow my computer to scream “You’ve Got Mail!” at me everytime a new missive reaches one of my multiple in boxes! (It’s like my phone – I do not answer my phone when I’m working on a deadline. If someone cannot leave a message it’s not that important!)
I make sure my spam filters are configured and I check my spam folders to make sure nothing important has strayed there.
I delete anything that says “forward” – if you’re too lazy to do nothing more than hit one button what you have to say is unimportant to me!
I do not read e-mails from people who send nothing but jokes and stupid stories and chain e-mails – you all know those people! Delete, Delete, Delete!
I have unsubscribed from a gazillion things I signed up for once upon a time.
I have multiple junk e-mail addresses to use when signing up for things where I suspect my address is all they want so they can spam me with daily or even hourly sales pitches.
I protect my private e-mail address like it’s my first born.
I have been known to actually block particular senders completely.
3. Heidi Richards Mooney | September 20th, 2008 at 9:28 pm
Donna and Terri,
Thanks so much for sharing your experiences to a very interesting dilemma we face. Our lives are being more and more driven by the Internet and email can definitely play a large part in that. I like all the strategies and tips you have Terri and unfortunately I tend to fall into the category Donna describes.
I too have to go… so little emai, so little time (no really)!!
Heidi Richards Mooney, The Redhead Blogger
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