Creative Reaction

An article* in the Atlanta Journal Constitution profiles a business fed up with the disadvantages of e-mail.

The Chief Executive “informally polled his senior management team and found e-mail was overtaking their lives”…

He “couldn’t put a complete stop to e-mail. After all, it’s how business gets done these days. But he could rein it in. He declared Fridays ‘No e-mail’ day. With the exception of outside e-mails from customers, (his employees) cannot use e-mail on Friday.”

“Need an answer to a question or an OK on a project or advice? Get on the phone. Better yet, get out of your seat.”

E-Mail can, indeed, be a black hole sucking up all time let near it, yet it remains an important tool. Some of the problems are over-dependence on it and a lack of productivity skills to manage it. (To be covered soon in this blog.)

For now, encourage yourselves/staff/coworkers to pause; then think, “is there a better way to communicate this?” “Should I call, or use Voice Mail, or use iChat, or simply walk over to the person’s desk or office?” It may take something drastic like quitting your e-mail application for a day to force yourselves to do this. Give it a try. Tell us how it felt and what good became of your brave decision!

*The article, which once required site membership, has suffered an even worse fate and can now no longer be found.