The clear follow-up question is: without the alerts, when should you check your email?

Ideally, just a couple of times per day (for example, first thing in the morning and after lunch) – whenever you do it, give it your undivided attention. Process the emails in one go, and then get on with your most important tasks. Try not to check too frequently, or you’ll just end up losing time again by getting sucked back into email enthrallment.

Many of you will object that it’s just not possible in your job to check your email only a couple of times a day. However, I’d counter it’s just not possible to do your job well if you check your email continuously. Reducing the number of times you check your mail will increase your productivity. And, if it’s really urgent, it shouldn’t be managed through email in the first place!

Our email culture has created an expectation of immediate response – or, at least, we seem to think it has. In actuality, we are often away from our desks, and unable to respond to emails for hours at a time. (Sometimes we’re even too busy to check our smartphones.) Our clients and co-workers know that, if they need to speak to us immediately, they are better off picking up the phone. Emails are generally saved for non-urgent tasks. You should operate by the same principle: if it’s really important or time-sensitive, don’t rely on email alone.

Plus, you don’t need to create an expectation of immediate response. You can’t always be available the moment an email comes in, or sometimes you want to think an email over a little before responding. That’s fine. Your customers and colleagues will be better served by your increased productivity than by hearing back from you the moment they’ve sent you an email.

<aside> 💡 Pro-tip! Do make sure you respond to every email within two working days, even if it is just to inform the person you will get back to them later! If you won’t be checking your email for more than two working days, remember to turn on your ‘out-of-office assistant’ (‘vacation responder’ in Gmail).

</aside>