Why I’m only spending 1 hour/day on email.
Some of you have been directed here because you’ve received my “Auto-Reply” email, which states some version of: “I currently am responding to all emails between 10:00–11:00am EST on Mondays-Fridays. For any urgent matter, please write **URGENT** in the subject line, or please send me a text.”
Truthfully, a great deal of thought went into this decision, and finally making the choice to set it up brought on both anxiety and a sense of relief.
There are personal, professional & purpose-full reasons for creating these parameters for myself. Let me break it down.
1) Reducing Stress & The Parkinson’s Law.
Parkinson’s Law says: “Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.”
I’ve been aware of this adage for a while now, through my time working in Talent Development.
In this role, I coached leaders and managers who had struggled to manage their time and found themselves constantly working around the clock to keep up with a never-ending list of tasks. The trick would be to allot a designated amount of time for certain tasks, even setting an timer to remind you when you need to walk away.
While I understood this in principle, I still found myself spending days refreshing my email constantly in what felt like an addictive behavior. Every break from a phone call or workshop led to this unfulfilled refresh behavior and an underlying panic of: What did I miss!?
I would feel the stress in my body, fueled by a story that “I can never keep up with this.” Each day, I was left feeling unaccomplished and “behind”.
One day I realized that the incessant refreshing and stress in my body was actually creating a lack of productivity and a loss of focus. It was like I was on a never-ending merry-go-round... and getting very dizzy.
I also felt like I was losing sight of the bigger picture, wasting time on email when I could be thinking about the bigger picture of Say Space, what we are creating in the world, researching and contributing to my own learning, and having conversations with people in real-time vs. only in email form. All of these things felt equally — if not more — imperative to support the core mission of Say Space.
After putting this 1-hour boundary into practice, my email time became focused & more productive than when it was spread out across an entire day. I was clear on who I needed to get back to, by when, and found myself in a temporary rhythm of “email mode”, knowing that when the hour was up, I would have to step away.
2) Re-thinking Productivity as a Value.
My work with Say Space is focused on creating equitable, inclusive workspaces — and in many cases this means rethinking how we relate to work all together.
I’ve been on a long journey of unpacking my own beliefs, assumptions and behaviors while educating myself on elements of colonization, capitalism, Whiteness, and their relationships to our work places.
Through this, I’ve discovered productivity as a value has roots tied to slavery and capitalism. Yes, it is true. Keeping a hyper-focus on profit above all else, has businesses forget about human & environmental impacts. Within this, humans are often treated like machines — as businesses try to lower their costs (aka underpaying and undervaluing), while demanding an increasing amount of output (overworked).
Truthfully this context-shift is a big one for me to unpack. I’ve been a self-proclaimed “hard-working Capricorn” and proud of it for as long as I can remember. I’ve previously thrived in high stress work environments, fueled by competition.
But recently, I’ve been taking a pause. What gets lost when we are moving so quickly? What perspectives am I missing at this pace? Where am I leaving room and space to check in with my body’s wisdom? What impact is this intensity having on others and our environment?
As part of my commitment to Equity & Liberation, I am committed to not just talking about, but being about a new relationship to work. One that leaves spaciousness to feel, be, discover, process and move. My hope and intention is that others will discover new ways of relating to their work — bringing out pleasure in what we do while serving the larger collective as we follow our purpose.
3) Inspiration from Shabbat.
In early June 2019, I began to abstain from the use of all technology (my phone, the computer, television), from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday. Inspired by the Jewish Sabbath, this choice was not as much grounded in religion as it was in a sense of freedom and curiosity. What new perspectives might I gain without the distraction of technology?
Friday evenings have become a favorite part of my week. Whatever is done, is done. I can take a step back and reflect on the metaphorical seeds that were planted, grown, and harvested. My brain forges new pathways rather than immediately reaching for Google to answer every question. I sit with my emotions rather than swiping through Instagram to move past a discomfort. I have enriching conversations with loved ones and feel like we are truly connecting.
This weekly ritual has inspired me to consider where else in my life I could use the technological break. It feels challenging at times, especially when the world around me seems to have a heart beat on these technological wires. But the benefits are so far outweighing any kind of fear that I have around “missing out on screen time.”
At the end of the day, this is all an experiment. Remembering that I can try new things, see how they feel, learn from them and grow is not only a core principle of life, but a value that I carry in all that I do. I hope this invites others to try something new, too.
These ideas were not created in vacuum, but inspired by leaders and educators who deserve credit & compensation for the road they’ve paved before me. If you’d like to support the work they’ve done and learn more for yourself, check out this of resources.
- If the addiction to your email sounds familiar, watch The Social Dilemma — which illustrates how software like Gmail is actually designed to have us constantly return and refresh.
- You can read more about the Parkinson’s Law here.
- Louiza Doran (According to Weeze) has a ton of valuable content specific on de-colonization. Check out her website & podia.
- The Nap Ministry, founded by Tricia Hersey, is an organization that views “Rest as Resistance”. Read more about their work on their website, or follow their Instagram for key reminders to s l o w d o w n.
- Toi Marie Smith, growth and impact strategist. Check out her website and download her course: “Business Beyond Profit”.
