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It's a problem, but I think if you really value time, you can make it. I've found that the best way to spend less time on e-mail is to send it very infrequentl
by chubot 13y ago
It's a problem, but I think if you really value time, you can make it.
I've found that the best way to spend less time on e-mail is to send it very infrequently. I used to send tons of e-mail at work, and that was valuable to me at the time. Now I choose very carefully what to reply to, because every message I send means I will get something in return. It's pretty astoundingly effective.
Another strategy is to keep an odd schedule. I generally get to my desk around 2pm, so I'm sufficiently out of sync with people who get to their desk at 9 or 10am. It's also good because there so little (bike) traffic that I can space out and think on the commute.
- eitally 13y agoAbility to be successful while functioning like this is wholly dependent on your role and the culture of the company you're working for or leading.
- chubot 13y agoSure, but don't you have control over your role? Maybe not in the short term, but in the long term you can take steps to move into a role or job where you have bigger free blocks of time. You just have to decide if that's what you value over, say, money, prestige, etc. Paul Graham wrote a nice essay where he mentioned that "prestige" is basically a way to get people to do shitty work. What I'm saying doesn't really work for managers or leaders, because your job boils down to talking to people, and e-mail is a big part of that. But it works really well for programmers.
- eitally 13y agoYes, generally speaking ... but I'm in management and was speaking from that perspective. My apologies for being unclear.