This is a place for displaying some concepts of the Sherpa System.
Please click here for the official Sherpa website.
Email is
Attention Hijacker #1
What if there was a tool that allowed anyone, anywhere, to steal a few moments of your life? This isn’t the pitch for a new dystopian sci-fi movie. Such a tool already exists, and it’s called email.
At some level, we all feel a social commitment to deal with every email, text, or voicemail we receive. Studies show that the average executive spends a third of their day juggling email. It’s safe to say that none of that time is spent doing productive work.
Leaving emails for later isn’t an effective strategy, either. Deep down inside, those ignored requests can nag at you, which causes stress and robs you of focus.
FACTS:
-
Email is work about work, but not the actual work itself.
-
The problem is not email itself, but how it constantly tugs at your attention.
-
Your inbox is as addictive as a slot machine, and for the same reasons.
Email isn’t just distracting; it’s addictive, and there are two reasons why.
First is the random reward element. Most times you check your email, you find nothing important, or maybe even something annoying like a request from the board of directors. But sometimes, you get a reward, like a memo that says you’re getting a bonus. This random reward system gives your brain a hit of dopamine, and it’s the same system that makes slot machines addictive. Email is like having a slot machine in your pocket.
The second addictive element is what psychologists call “completion bias.” We get a squirt of dopamine when we finish tasks, no matter how trivial. Clearing out a few emails is easy, and it gives us a sense of satisfaction. No wonder it’s so attractive, even when it gets in the way of productive work.
SOLUTIONS:
Turn off all email notifications to minimize distractions.
Limit the number of times you check email – ideally once or twice a day.
“Email is the ‘quintessential shallow activity’ It is particularly insidious in its grip on most executives' attention.”
– Cal Newport, PhD
