As part of the 4HWW elimination strategy. It is recommended that you check your email twice a day. As soon as I began reading about this on the web. I started doing it. The first thing I did was to remove my personal email accounts I had set up within my office email clients. I use both Lotus Notes and Outlook. Then I thought about what to do next. I've multiple email accounts: ISP, bought domains, various Internet web mail facilities. They all 'serve' a purpose, mostly email testing.
The Other Side
It has taken me a long time to move to the firefox web browser. I didn't see the point. MS, whether you like it or not, in some form or another provide many IT types with a direct or indirect income. I wasn't about to join the I hate MS club, just to appear cool. Here in my office, they adore firefox. I do now. If nothing else the extensions and the biggest plus it is portable ie carry it on a USB stick! Thus much smaller and lighter than a laptop. This makes it an ideal remote company owner's tool.
Have Email Will Run
I thought I'd give their email client another go too. This again I can add to my USB stick and take it with me where every I go. When travelling, I didn't find one Internet cafe, that didn't let you plug in all manner of camera, memory stick or other device. Yes, there are times when you'll want your laptop, but the USB stick is a great way forward. Check out PortableApps.com . There are many other utilities that you can add to your usb stick. Not least an SMTP service. I now don't have to worry about whose internet line I am using, I can send emails from 'my' SMTP server. Touch wood, I seem to still be able to email everybody. Nobody seems to be blocking me. Ultimate test with be Japan in Oct I guess.
Thunderbird, now collates all my personal email accounts into one. It has a built in SPAM filter, which gets better the more you train it. I've seen various solutions that Tim suggests, which I may investigate in time. At present I'm just not getting, that many emails let alone SPAM (fingers-crossed). Having said that the biggest advantage is you can unplug your usb stick from your PC. Therefore, forcing yourself to look only twice a day if that. The calendar still needs work..yet. I'm looking at other tools for a 'calendar' function. A big help has been the following site : lifehacker . They seem to have some very productive people on their site. Many small business/workers who work from home or remotely. There are great at finding tools and getting the most from firefox, thunderbird et al. to help you work remotely and productively.
But, I've Work Email Too
Well, I've set up a reminder as recommended, Are you being productive. Although sometimes I just laugh and go, not being productive at the moment. I've not set up a reminder or out of office agent to run, saying I'm not checking email twice a day. I just do it. If you don't answer you work email straight away, it seems to me people think you're in a meeting or something anyway. Oh and on the plus side, I use predominately Lotus Notes as my work email client, which just happens to be portable too!.If you're getting so many emails that you need to keep checking it all the time. You need to stop. What is really important? Or think of it this way. When you're away on holiday, the office still functions doesn't it. Ergo, most email isn't that crucial.
Other Low Information Stuff
I just ended up unplugging the television...problems solved. Therefore it is now harder to just flick it on.. Once you start travelling, you quickly forget about television and the news as much isn't appropriate for you anyway as you're a traveller. I still listen to audio books. I did when I was travelling the last time. In addition, it is a productive way to use my car journey into work. I now read fiction before I go to bed. Although if I wake up early. I'm still struggling with not turning on the laptop to randomly web surf. Getting better though.
Thankfully meetings don't happen too often and when they do, they are so dull..So here is to ending meetings. I also now only answer my own personal phone twice a day. I've changed my voice mail message. The only people to kick up a fuss...my parents. I just told them it was all about being productive at work. They seem to accept this. I'm still looking for other tasks to batch. That I don't do already.
Web Surfing News.
To curtail my random web surfing. I've found two firefox extension.WebStats . This just tells you where you're web surfing and how much time you are spending. In addition I use leechblock . This blocks websites for you, based on time of day. There are others. They just work for me. I can spend time just randomly web surfing, which is a big No, No to getting things done. These two just help me curtail it a little more.
Happy Travels
A
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