David J.
Pollay
Read David's bio and previous columns
June 9, 2008
Don’t Play E-mail
Lottery
After I waved
goodbye to Dawn and the girls as they headed off to school, I went back
into the house, grabbed my cup of tea and sat down at the computer. I
went straight to my four e-mail accounts and started reading all the
e-mail that had arrived over night. Thirty minutes later, I had
responded to just a third of them: I had to stop to drive to my office
in time for a meeting. But as I made my way downtown, I was still
thinking about the e-mails I had read, but not answered. I was not
focusing my energy and creativity on my goals for the day. I had broken
my rule.
How many of you do
this every day? How many of you sit down at your computer and say,
“Let’s see what I have waiting for me today?” And when you’re honest
with yourself, you catch yourself hoping that the e-mails are not
delivering bad news or problems for you. Most of you follow this routine
from time to time, and many of you do it every day.
And here’s what
you’re doing. You are downloading other people’s priorities. You go into
your day without a plan. You have not committed to an agenda. You bow to
the concerns of others, regardless of their relative importance.
And each e-mail
comes with an attachment – the mood of the sender. Senders always convey
their moods in their messages: They transmit their worries, anxieties,
frustrations, anger and impatience. Thankfully, some senders also
communicate joy, gratitude, optimism and excitement.
But hoping that good
news will appear each time you open your e-mail is like playing the
lottery: You secretly hope one of the e-mails is holding your winning
ticket number.
Now, there’s nothing
wrong with e-mail. It is a vital form of communication. It allows us to
connect with people all over the world inexpensively and almost
instantly.
The challenge is
that if you have not outlined what you must accomplish during the day to
advance your goals and dreams, you will get caught up in everyone else’s
priorities. You will push your goals off to another day while you handle
the requests of others. Following this strategy, you will never build
the momentum you need to live your best possible life.
And it’s not just
about you. When you fail to make progress in the key areas of your life,
you feel frustrated and disappointed. And when you feel this way, you
create a wave of negative energy that touches many people: Your
colleagues, your customers, your friends and your family will be
affected by your negative emotions.
Follow my rule
instead: Have a plan before you open your e-mail.
Grab your morning
beverage and review your goals. And then ask these questions:
1.
What’s
important to you?
2.
What
will help you move closer to achieving your best possible life?
3.
And
what must you accomplish to delight your customers and satisfy your
stakeholders?
Then look at your
week and set your priorities for each day. Come up with a list of people
you must call and people you must e-mail. And decide on
the best order to complete these tasks.
Then with your plan
in hand, it’s safe to open your e-mail. You can determine if anything
has arrived that trumps something on your priority list. If it does,
slide it into place. If it does not warrant your immediate attention,
wait until the end of the day to respond.
Respect your own
priorities. Believe your goals are worth pursuing. And remember that
there are people counting on you to succeed.
Don’t play e-mail
lottery. Set your own agenda and enjoy every day.
David J. Pollay
is the author of
“Beware of
Garbage Trucks!™ - The Law of the Garbage Truck™
(www.bewareofgarbagetrucks.com).” His book,
The Law of the Garbage Truck™,
is due out this Fall. Mr. Pollay is a syndicated columnist with the
North Star
Writers Group,
creator and host of The
Happiness Answer™
television program and DVD, and an internationally sought after speaker.
He is the founder and president of The Momentum Project, LLC
(www.themomentumproject.com).
© 2008
David J. Pollay. Distributed by North Star Writers Group. May not be
republished without permission.
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