Can you imagine a day without email? Suppose the whole company banned managing email once a week on Fridays?

For most people, the first response is an immediate objection. In my time management seminars, even bringing up the idea of setting blocks of time each day for processing email vs. letting it interrupt you all day long evokes strong initial reactions. Objections range from a fear of backlog to corporate culture’s expectations.

In my training sessions we discuss these and work through the scenarios, but the real issue is often that we are addicted to our email. According to a 2007 study by the University of Glasgow, many people check email as often as 30 to 40 times an hour. If we have a glitch in the program and cannot receive it for an hour or a day, we may go through withdrawal. When someone actually bans the use of it, we may even try to sneak in some contraband time.

Some of the issues arising from the growth in the use of this communication are:

• It can be a means of avoiding a problem instead of confronting it as you send strings of messages back and forth.
• It cuts down on face-to-face contact, and poorly delivered messages can create more strain on relationships.
• It is spilling over into weekends and keeping employees tied to work.

Companies that have remained firm in instituting an email ban at certain times have found that it can be a strong tool for added productivity. Even initially resistant employees are won over after getting used to the difference. Some results include:

• Having a designated time to focus on detailed projects
• Increased interaction to get answers and solve problems
• Cutting down on the quantity of messages sent out during a normal day as employees realize that some of the mail they send is not necessary.

Consider exploring this topic at one of your staff meetings. Even if you are an individual business owner, this is something you might want to test. Try it for a month or more, and then evaluate the changes in your productivity levels.