In a recent study by the McKinsey Global Institute, it was found that the average employee spends 28% of time during their workweek reading and answering emails. How many of you are guilty? I would suspect that the number is actually higher if you factor in other types of internet activity, like taking a ‘quick peek’ at Facebook or LinkedIn. These time-wasters take away from productivity and can create animosity and resentment among members.
Monitoring your work behavior is a personal responsibility; it must have balance between work activities and rest or else one can become tired and unfocused. Making a plan for how you spend your work-time will help you manage your day and you will find that you will feel more accomplished and get more done.
Make a plan for your day – limit your time on the internet in increments of 15 minutes, say the first thing just to see if there any urgent emails to read/respond to. Then, go to work on the hardest thing you need to do. Check email again at designated times, only focusing on the most urgent and then deleting or filing those that have been answered. According to the Institute, if you keep your emails to five sentences, it will improve your productivity and improve your chances of getting a reply. Make your subject line action-oriented so the receiver will read and respond to your request. Save reading other emails or checking your FB status for your break or lunch time. At the end of the day, finish reading your emails and plan your schedule for the next day. You can now go home feeling accomplished.
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