I didn't check my email all day… AND the world didn't end!

I’m detouring from our get a job series today to gloat. If you want to review the current series check out…

• How to get blogging jobs and web writing jobs – getting started
• Finding blog gigs – starting out with no clips
• How to get a blogging job – advice from b5media’s hiring editor
• How to get a blogging job – advice from Deb Ng of FWJ

Now on with the gloat – I didn’t check my email and survived to tell you about it!

I’m super frustrated right now because I’m moving August 1st, which means I need to post ahead for a few days so I can take said days off to move. PLUS have I even packed (ha) – not even one box. I’m busy and tired and looking for ways to cut out distractions. I can’t cut out the typical distractions like Twitter or Facebook because it’s part of my job (for some clients) to visit those types of spots.

However, email is not technically a requirement. I tend to check mine a lot anyhow because I get so much email. It’s scary to think if I don’t check it, I’ll open it up ten hours later to pages of stuff to sort. I check my email during the day and while I do check it on a schedule, it always distracts me for longer than it should. I start answering emails, bookmarking PR stuff, get mean reader email and have to find a friend to rant to, and so on. It’s a time waster, but I didn’t know how much until today.

Yesterday I was sorting email and I just had it. I got one lame email too many and decided to NOT check my email for a whole day and see what happens.

I checked my email in the evening on Sunday and then didn’t even allow myself to open it all day Monday. It was nerve wracking. I kept thinking “Who is trying to get in touch, maybe I missed some key press release, maybe there’s some life-changing email in there…. ahhhhhhhh!” But I stood strong and left the email alone and low and behold I got a ton more work than usual done.

Cutting out scheduled email checks during my day saved me an estimated two hours. It was cool and sort of freeing plus with two extra hours I got more work done.

What about when I finally did check it – how crazy was it?

Honestly, not that bad. I found it was actually easier to wiz through all the email at once, deleting a ton of junk, category marking others, then I spent a little time answering people. All in all it took about an hour. Go me.

If you’re looking for a way to gain some time I highly suggest holding off on email time – in fact I may try only checking it every other day! Well, that would require more will-power so we’ll see…

What’s your email schedule look like? Is it distracting you too? For more advice read: Are you too distracted at work.