Is your weekend something that energizes you? I hope it does since it’s the perfect time for connection with others, rest, and renewal (especially renewal of my snack supply!).
Yet, far too many professionals love the IDEA of the weekend but treat it like a slow work-from-home day.
Maybe a little e-mail in your favorite sweats with your coffee? Or perhaps a mid-morning jog, then finishing a report while the laundry is spinning?
The problem with this approach is it can go from an occasional indulgence to a weekly routine – and not just the always working part, but the casual approach to a task that needs a clear start and stop with some intention behind it.
So if hanging out in your inbox has become a pastime instead of a task to complete, here are four quick ways to bring some structure to the never-ending inflow of messages.
Ending the e-mail past time
- Set a timer.Start with 30 minutes, and process only the most important and urgent messages. The rest can wait until Monday or your next e-mail sprint.
- Delete your work e-mail app from your phone. Most corporate e-mail clients have a website-based version of your inbox that doesn’t ping, light up or bother you, but it is there if you need to check your calendar for the coming week.
- Silence the pings. Set the quiet hours on your messaging app to eliminate work pings when you’re living life.
- Be intentional. If you do need to finish something on the weekend, be clear on the single task you want to complete and how long it should take you. Then eliminate the distractions, and go hard at it so you can finish and move on to create moments worth remembering.
