Why You Shouldn’t Open E-mails as Soon as You Turn Your Computer On

If you want to be creative and productive

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When you read your e-mails first thing, you get into a reactive mode.

And that mode kills your creativity.

Your Energy Levels Change Through the Day

Knowing my energy pattern helps me to organize my tasks to be productive and creative with more ease.

It doesn’t work for me to force productivity when I’m tired or badly rested, for example. Things simply don’t work out. So I respect my own timing and everything gets easier and lighter.

Map your tiredness throughout the day. Observe your patterns. When are your peaks and lows of energy?

My highest levels of energy are 2 hours after I wake up and 30 minutes after I eat something, then I start to get slower after 6 pm, and my bed starts calling me after 9 pm.

But that’s my pattern. You need to observe yours and take your conclusions of what's best for you. See, it’s an individual thing.

Nailing Your Most Demanding Task

In most cases, the best approach would be to do the most demanding task and/or creative projects first thing in the morning, when your mind is still sharp. Or after a morning exercise — so you can get that extra energy boost (which I love).

As the day passes, your energy levels naturally drop, so the mid-afternoon tends to be a better time to reply to e-mails and comments and schedule meetings. From there, you can gradually reduce your work demands as the day ends to start preparing your body and mind for sleep.

If you start your day replying to e-mails and messages, you’re wasting your precious mental sharpness on something that won't bring you the massive result that a more demanding task would. You may even get more stressed and anxious, making things even harder.

I’m not saying to not answer your e-mails but to prioritize your projects and dedicate a more flexible time to answering messages (unless there’s something urgent, of course).

Energy Levels and a Healthy Life

The rushed world asks us to be productive 24/7, but that’s not how our bodies were built. Especially women, who are cyclic and have greater energy shifts through the weeks.

Instead of focusing on producing as if we were infallible machines, we need to look at our bodies as machines in constant need of maintenance.

We need to sleep well, eat well, be cleaned up, socialize, and have fun. Without that maintenance, there's no effective production, no matter how much you try to push it — it simply won't work out well in the long run. Something will fall out of place in the shape of a disease, anxiety, depression, or else.

By observing your energy levels and organizing your tasks accordingly, you will naturally get more productive and creative, and you won’t feel that pressure to get things done when the day ends. Your day will end more smoothly and your downtime for sleep will be truly relaxing for a great night of sleep — as it should always be.

If you have the habit of opening your e-mail first, why not give this energy mapping a try? You may be surprised by the results.

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