3 Keys to Overcome Email Overload – Part 7b: Mental health & well being
This is the 13th in a series of blog posts designed to help you recognise the profound and far-reaching impact email overload has in your life and offer solutions to help you overcome the challenges it presents.
There are 7 Critical Impacts of Information & Email Overload.
Impact #7: Mental Health & Well-being
The impact of email overload extends beyond the borders of the workplace. It also impacts our mental health and well-being. Keeping up with all the new inputs we receive from a wide range of technological devices takes up a lot of our time each day. This occurs not only at work but also during our personal time; we’re communicating ourselves into a frenzy. And it’s affecting our health in several ways. The first is chronic distraction and attention deficit disorder.
The second of these impacts is;
Stress
Stress is a key issue in the workplace, bearing several negative outcomes, with Information Overload being a significant contributor.
To highlight this, an unexpected finding from a survey of U.K. employees showed that temporary employees report better well–being, general health, a more positive attitude towards work and better work behaviour (e.g. less absenteeism) than their permanent counterparts. Researchers link this to the finding that many permanent workers reported high levels of work overload, relatively high levels of irritation, anxiety and depression and a strong interference of work with life at home.
Another study shows that 35% of knowledge workers experience back pain, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, eye strain, headaches and stress.
Most of us recognise that a low sense of control of what’s happening in our work (and personal) life leads to higher stress levels. Conversely, when we feel we have a high degree of control, we experience low stress levels.
So, what can do you about it?
Here are a 4 quick ideas to help reduce impact of email overload by getting a greater degree of control in the workplace;
Minimise interruptions
Single-task rather than multi-task (multi-tasking is a myth)
Schedule designated blocks of time on regular basis for thinking and planning
Go for a walk during the day
Why this ezine/blog?
Email is the #1 productivity killer - many say it’s the single biggest waste of time in the modern workplace. It occupies 2.6 hours a day, but 25% of this time is unproductive. And volumes are increasing, despite the rise and rise of social media and other collaborative tools.
More and more, email has taken over your day, your week, your work, your life! This series of ezines is designed to help you recognise the profound and far-reaching impact email overload has in your life and offer solutions to help you overcome the challenges it presents.
The aim is to restore email to its rightful place as a facilitator of improved productivity, so that you are the master and it is the slave (rather than the other way round).
All the best!