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TechTalk COLUMN:
March 2006
Overview Feb Mar
P
U B L I S H E D
theNOWnewspaper Business2Business
British Columbia, Canada
Email bringing you down? Let it flow, let it flow, let it flow
by Rita Alterio, Professional Writers Association of Canada
Oh the task at hand is frightful
And distraction can be so delightful
So since all our ideas seem to fail
Let's check email! Let's check email! Let's check email!
Now that Christmas is a bad credit card memory, why not adapt the lyrics for Let it Snow to address one of modern man's biggest drains on business productivity? New bad lyrics do not a top-10 hit make,
but
the message is sure to resonate at desks across the land. And hey, it's
not just me that says email can be a huge distraction. "It's in human nature to wonder whether you've got new email," said Alon Halevy, a professor of computer science at the University of Washington who specializes in data management systems and artificial intelligence. "I don't think anything else is as compelling to divert attention."
If the man schooled at Harvard says so, what chance does the average business person have against the titillating allure of a possibly urgent email? Enter Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, (pronounced CHICK-sent-me-hi-ee), professor of psychology. He says go with the flow.
Csikszentmihalyi isn't talking about a philosophy tauted in the song Don't Worry be Happy, but rather about a state of deep concentration -- deep concentration that equals productivity.
Csikszentmihalyi studied creative process for about 20 years before publishing his best selling book Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. If political leaders in power and winning football coaches successfully apply the principle, then businesses should take note.
And they have.
In fact, businesses such as Microsoft are studying and using the concept of flow. You've heard of Microsoft, right?
First step in achieving flow, or that deep state of concentration, is a block of time. About 15 minutes of uninterrupted time to settle in and maintain focus. Yes I hear that collective "A-ha!" -- because in the face of a demanding task, what's the first thing we often do? Divert and distract -- check email.
So, number one rule for managing email: maintain control. Some recommend only answering email once in the morning and again at the end of the day. But most important, set a reasonable schedule and stick to it.
Turn off email auto-checking systems because unless you've reached email nirvana, you know you can't resist the flashing icon.
Let people know that if it's urgent, call. So don't let email bullies rule your electronic workplace -- if you want to be productive, that is.
Finally, remember the tune you really want to be singing:
Oh the task at hand is so demanding
But my skills are capable and commanding
And since I've scheduled time with no place to go
Let it flow! Let it flow! Let it flow!
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