Stop Checking Your Email and Watch Your Productivity Skyrocket

You might not even be aware you’re doing it

I knew something needed to change, so I started tracking how many times I opened my email per day. I quickly lost count…

I’m not joking. It was many times more than I needed to. I don’t even have a job that requires me to check my email throughout the day. And I wasn’t looking for anything in particular. It’s just a nervous habit, I guess.

And don’t get me started on refreshing Medium, hoping for that little bell to turn into a green circle with a number inside. I would check and check and check, looking for that brief rush of dopamine.

Apparently, I’m not alone

A study conducted by Gloria Mark, a digital distraction expert, found that the average person checked their email 74 times a day and those at the upper levels were checking up to 435 times a day (from the Undivided Attention podcast).

Upon first reading those numbers, I feel happy. Yay, I’m not alone! But on second reading, I’m concerned. These are large numbers. And they don’t come free of consequences.

Checking your email comes at a cost

Quoted in I Done This Blog, Mark explains that “it takes an average of about 25 minutes (23 minutes and 15 seconds, to be exact) to return to the original task after an interruption.”

When you multiply 25 minutes by the number of distractions you experience each day, it’s shocking that you get anything done!

One thing has become abundantly clear to me: there is no point in learning other productivity hacks until you master this simple one. By just limiting the number of times you check your email (and social media) per day, you can dramatically, and disproportionately, improve your productivity.

This will also increase your well-being

A study published in 2014 limited 124 individuals to check their email only 3x/day for one week. The following week, participants could check their email as many times as they wished.

The results of the study revealed that “limiting the frequency of checking email throughout the day reduced daily stress.” This lack of stress also feeds back into your productivity, keeping you calm, focused, and positive.

Now, a word of warning

I hate to admit it, but when I decided to only check my email 3 times per day, I experienced symptoms of withdrawal. There were many times an almost automatic desire to check my email overcame me. I’d instantly grab my phone — just wanting that rush from a notification or an interesting email. It was difficult to say no and, for a few days, a lot of my energy went toward not checking my email.

But after day three, I was so caught up in the flow of my work I didn’t even think about it. I experienced a lot more peace at night and upon waking up. And without incessantly checking my devices, I had ‘extra’ time for things like taking long walks — and I left my phone at home, of course!

Here’s what to do

This is incredibly simple. Just…

• Don’t check your email first thing in the morning or last thing before bed
• And if your job allows it, only check your email and social media 2 or 3 times per day.

But you’ll probably find this incredibly difficult. It’s simple advice, but it’s difficult to go from checking your email 74 times a day to 3 times a day. And my article here is useless if you aren’t able to break this bad habit.

In How to Break a Bad Habit and Replace It With a Good One, James Clear gives the following advice for breaking, and replacing, a bad habit:

1. “Choose a substitute for your bad habit” → Whenever you would check your phone, meditate or read for 2 minutes instead. Just makes sure whatever you do is less distracting than checking your email would be.
2. “Cut out as many triggers as possible” → Delete email and social media applications from your phone. Use FocusMe to block email and social media websites on your device.
3. “Join forces with somebody” → Find a friend that wants to break this bad habit as well. Check-in and encourage one another often.
4. “Visualize yourself succeeding” → Consider what your perfect day, free of distraction, looks like. Spend time imagining yourself as in control of your desires and actions.
5. “Plan for failure” → No one’s perfect. You’re going to get distracted. Expect it to happen. And when it does, let go and keep moving forward.

You can do this. It’s been tough for me, but the days where I’m successful I’m not only insanely productive, I’m happier, more peaceful, and I feel more in control of my day.

So if you’re looking to increase your productivity, just start by checking your email less — possibly way less.