Tip # 3: Don’t check email before doing something productive!

I know what you’re going to say… “but … checking my email is part of work, and I *am* being productive“. No, you’re actually fooling yourself. Email is one of the primary time-wasters and you could be better off by not checking your email (or in some cases, Twitter) until you have accomplished something productive, at least one produced element.

What do I mean by produced element? Say that you are (like me) an academic, and you need to prepare a lecture. So you’d start your day by reading a journal article or a book chapter to start getting your creative juices flowing. Or say that you are a freelance writer… you can start by drafting a blog entry in your WordPress editor.

Just reserve some time in the morning, before you actually check your email or Twitter, to engage in some sort of production. This term “production” still feels weird when I write it, and it refers to “producing” content or ‘stuff’. Whatever the stuff you ‘produce’ for a living, make sure that you spend at least some time in the mornings before checking your email creating something productive.

For example, what I did when I was in graduate school (and I owe this piece of advice to two professors in the Geography and Anthropology departments) was to never turn on my email before I read a journal article, a book chapter, or at least wrote a good solid 1 page with raw thoughts. This really helped my creative juices flowing and I could feel much more focused.

I also had the opportunity to be faster and more responsive on email because I was already on a roll, so I didn’t want email to distract me from accomplishing stuff. I suggest that you don’t let email (or Twitter) get in the way of your productivity first thing in the morning. Engage in some form of production for one hour or two at the beginning of your work day!

Let me know how these tips are working for you… they worked for me and still do!

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