Productivity Myth# 1 "A short email is faster than a phone call"

I’m overwhelmed by the number of debates that focus on how many times you check email.  Personal Productivity Guru’s can’t get enough of it!

After a long day at work and replying to a gazillion emails, I can’t help but wonder how many times does Obama check email?  Would my virtual assistant or admin actually be able to “own” my email?

After years of self-conflict with these questions and a lot of trial and error, I speak with confidence when I say that I’ve found a strategy that works, at least for me.  Sorry Tim Ferris, I just can’t be the bad-ass-book-writing-multiple-language-learning-breakdancing-chinese-kickboxing-ninja that you are by avoiding calls and emails.  Sorry bro, but that s***t just doesn’t work in real life.

What works for me is the “5 minute knock ‘em out” rule (who ever came up with the 15 second or the 1 minute rule, slap em silly and move on.  It never works!).  If you can handle a task by email in 5 minutes….I mean handle it completely without the need for continual debates, do it.  About 30% of my emails fall into this category.  For the remainder, just do what works best for you and stop listening to productivity guru’s that are begging for bragging rights on buzzwords!  Check your email 3 times or 5 times or 10 times a day.  Just try not to be an iPhone whore.

If you get a hunch that a conversation is going to take more than 2 emails, setup a 15 minute call and just handle it.

When you’re at the gym, leave your phone/pda behind and if it gets too tough to use the dial-based-iPod, disable your internet.  Do what ever it takes to discipline yourself to focus on working out and not worrying about sales or marketing or execution.

Ditto when you eat - enjoy a meal. Even God wants you to do this!

It’s been less than 2 weeks since I’ve incorporated this strategy and I’m already starting to save 30-60 minutes a day.  That’s close to 100 hours for the rest of this year - unreal!