E-mail a Constant Distraction? Stop the “Bling Thing”!
What is “The Bling Thing”? Simply this – “bling” refers to that little sound that most e-mail programs make when a new message is received. And “the bling thing” is the almost comical and highly predictable response many professionals have when they hear that “little bling sound” – they immediately drop what they are doing, give up their focus, and check their new e-mail message.
A recent study found that 25% of office professionals are checking their e-mail 20 or more times per day. That frequency can be one of the biggest productivity destroyers for a business professional.
A recent study at the University of London’s Institute of Psychiatry found those constantly checking e-mail were suffering tangible 10-point hits to their short-term I.Q.! That’s like missing an entire night’s sleep. (Source: Yoga Journal, ABC News) If you feel like you are in a fog and are having a hard time focusing, perhaps it is because you are checking your e-mail too much.
I recommend you turn off sound notifications for new e-mails received. Second, if that little Microsoft Virtual Assistant figure pops up to let you know a new message came in, right click on that little guy and select, “Do not notify me in this situation.” Third, go into your e-mail’s Options tab, go into Mail Setup, and click on Send/Receive. Then, change your “Auto Send/Receive” settings to something more than 5 or 10 minutes (try 90 minutes for a huge productivity gain) –
Try it for a while and comment here with how it goes. Good luck taming that “Bling Thing”!
Guest post by: Randy Dean a popular speaker and trainer on time and e-mail management. http://www.randalldean.com
10/11/2009 at 12:22 pm Permalink
Well, i check my email… like 30 times a day, and i don’t feel like this makes me tired( probably there are exceptions to the study you mentioned), but i do realize that when i am at home in the evening or in weekends, i feel the need to check my email, from my phone or laptop. I do realize that i don’t check it every time i receive something (even if a small window pops-out in the corner,) but i do check it when there is something important received.
01/06/2010 at 12:45 am Permalink
Distraction is an annoying thing in the internet especially if you are doing something very important. It is true there are a lot of “bling thing” in the internet that creates distraction in the internet. There are people who are using the internet that disables the sound of the PC or laptop because of the annoying sounds that people put in their websites, emails and blogs. This article is telling the truth about email with “blings” that is why it is just right to stop it and find other and better ways to make people interested in what they got to say.
This is a great idea!
Alex