Analysis: 4 tips to manage the time demands of digital communication when there's just so much to do.
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It's Monday morning and you're sitting down at your desk to begin the workday. You start up your computer, click into your browser, take a deep breath, and steel yourself for the coming onslaught. Click. Thousands of emails, mostly unread, stare back at you from the screen.
Weeks, if not months, of digital correspondence all messily piled one on top of the next in a seemingly never-ending scroll of requests, offers, questions, announcements, and invitations. You scan the first few to see if there is anything important. Scroll down the pile. Your chest tightens and your stomach twists. Abruptly, you close out of the window and decide it's time to go make another cup of coffee.
Digital communication has expanded the ways in which we communicate, work, advertise, educate, enquire, and more. Often, the email inbox becomes a catch-all for these various forms of communication, and the time needed to organise, process, and engage with everything feels like a full-time job.
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From RTÉ Brainstorm, Dr Noel Carroll from University of Galway on the 6 signs that you need a digital detox
However, the ever-growing inbox is just one of many things that we need to attend to in our work and personal lives. This means we must constantly make decisions whether we will spend time managing our inboxes, or whether we will choose to spend that time elsewhere. This ongoing decision-making often involves what is referred to as 'overchoice' and opportunity cost.
Overchoice (also called choice overload, choice paralysis, or the paradox of choice) occurs when we get stuck trying to make a decision because the number of available options is overwhelming, often leading us to make no decision at all. Experiences of overchoice can result in lower satisfaction with whatever choice we make because we are left wondering whether there was a better option.
When we spend time doing one thing (such as sorting through our inbox) we can consider that as time we cannot spend on other tasks and activities. This appraisal is called opportunity cost.
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Overchoice and opportunity cost can occur on two levels when we consider the time demands of our inboxes. First, there is the decision whether to spend time in the inbox or on any number of other tasks and activities. Second, once in the inbox, we must decide what to do with all those emails. Do we read through and action each email one by one? How do we prioritise responding to this email before that one? And should we be working toward inbox zero?
But how much time would it actually take to reach (and then maintain) inbox zero? Is that time (or some of that time) better spent on other things? It can quickly become overwhelming, and it is no wonder that detaching, disconnecting, and just letting the inbox overflow provides a bit of relief. However, the chances of email obligations disappearing anytime soon are slim, so it is important to develop healthy and sustainable methods to support the quality of the time we spend in our inboxes.
Identify Your Inbox Habits
First, it is important to identify our current habits when engaging with emails. Perhaps we get overwhelmed and avoid the inbox entirely. Maybe we get sucked in and spend hours trying to reach inbox zero. Or, maybe email notifications constantly distract us while are trying to focus on other things. Tracking our time spent on emails is one way to build awareness of our habits.
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From RTÉ Brainstorm, a brief history of time management
Once we have identified our habits, we can consider what challenges they present to our efficiency, wellbeing, and goals. Are these habits supporting us or making it harder for us to work well? Identifying our habits and their consequences allows us to then experiment with strategies to become more intentional with our time.
Set a Timer
Rather than the inbox dictating our time, we can use strategies, such as setting a timer, to proactively manage time spent on emails. Maybe 30 minutes at the start and end of the workday is enough to get through most of the important stuff. Or, if that feels too abysmal, shorter blocks set throughout the day can help tackle the inbox without getting consumed. The Pomodoro Technique is a useful timer system. Whatever time block feels manageable, set and stick to it. Rather than thinking of how else you could be spending the time, commit to the time and see what progress you can make.
Decide Before You Start
Before you start the timer, set your intention to prevent the indecision of overchoice. Some research suggests that spending time "browsing" with a rule that you will not buy anything during the browsing period can lead to greater motivation and energy and less likelihood of overchoice.
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This concept can be applied in the inbox by setting specific intentions for how you will engage with your emails. You might start with ten minutes to organise the emails ("browsing" but not "buying"). What needs to be flagged for follow up? Then, set the timer for another, say, twenty minutes to delete, reply, or otherwise action the emails. Deciding on the intention can keep us (and our time) focused and controlled, which may help avoid getting lost and overwhelmed in the inbox.
Let Go of Perfect
Finally, research suggests that taking a "good enough" approach can prevent overchoice. Researchers looked at the difference between maximisers and satisficers. Maximisers are prone to getting stuck in overchoice because they (1) assume there is a best option, and (2) get fixated on finding the best option. Satisficers are more likely to feel satisfied with good enough rather than seeking the best.
There is likely no perfect system, no way of always keeping up with every email alongside everything else going on in our lives. If we can shift to a more satisficer mindset (Are most of the important emails attended to in a timely manner most of the time?), it may help us spend less time getting stuck and stressed in overchoice, and more quality time just getting things done.
Time researchers suggest that the advancement of technology in our daily lives has one of the biggest impacts on increased feelings of time pressure and stress. If we can identify areas where these time challenges occur (e.g., our inbox), we can target them with intentional strategies that help us work efficiently and feel more satisfied with how we spend our time.
The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent or reflect the views of RTÉ
