Since internet started becoming available on mobile phones several years ago, I have set up my email accounts on my phones. This allowed me to check my personal emails and work emails on the move. An essential part of being a productive internet marketer, right?
Over the years, I have realised that having the ability to check email on the move does not help me be more productive. My old blackberry phone was ok at writing emails, but all smartphones I have owned are terrible for writing long messages.
There are times when having email on the move has been useful. For example, I frequently reply to important messages that I am out and will reply to them the following day. Therein lies the problem. Mobiles are not good devices for having long email conversations. You need a computer for that. What mobiles are perfect for are reading email and letting others that you are not at your desk.
Do You Need to Be Connected to Your Work when You Are Away from the Computer?
The longer you work online, the more you realise how important it is to spend quality time away from the computer; and it is difficult to do that if you are always connected.
Boone Gorges spoke about this recently and has decided not to configure email on his phone. I can fully understand why he is doing this. It is easy to say that you will only check your email in important situations, however when you have an email app on your phone, there is always the temptation to check your mail.
In my experience, no good ever comes from checking email whilst I am out because I cannot do anything about it. If an email is not important, then no harm will come from replying a day or two later. If an email is important, what are you going to do? Do you wait until you are back at your computer the next morning and reply as you would have anyway; or do you ruin your night and rush back to your house in order to address the email you received?
A more likely scenario is to simply reply to the email the next day as you had planned. The problem with checking email when you are out with your friends, is that you are now thinking of the impending problem you need to address the next day, rather than enjoying yourself.
Once you realise that you cannot be productive whilst you are out, it makes sense to follow Boon Gorges’s example and not configure your email application. You can of course still access your email through your mobile browser, however you will be less likely to check your email frequently if you do have the app on your home screen.
For those of you who do have internet access on your mobile phone, I encourage you to review your mobile email usage. Ask yourself this: Do you really need to access email whilst you are away from your work computer?
If you are honest with yourself, I am positive that most of you will come to the conclusion that you do not. Enjoy yourself when you are away from your desk and restrict work to your normal working hours. You will enjoy life more when you do.
Thanks for reading,
Kevin
I think that’s the best way to be Jean. I must admit that I do love smartphones for their functionality (particularly the camera), however I liked not being plugged into the matrix when I was out.
I agree with you Kevin, I’ve actually never bought a smartphone so that I don’t get tempted :) When I’m away from the computer, I feel completely disconnected (in a good way).
My situation is perhaps a little different. Trying to juggle many different websites can result in information overload. My main aim just now is to simply my work routine and streamline everything I do online. Checking Twitter and emails too much goes against this way of thinking.
Obviously, one size does not fit all. What works for you may not work for me; and vice-versa. :)
As strange as it might sound: this kind of communication is somewhat relaxing for me. For me it’s part of modern day communication, and communication, mostly, is something I enjoy :)
Just as some people don’t want to talk every once in a while, I also prefer to be silent at times and don’t communicate via smartphone — but it happens rarely.
By the way: I am writing this while walking back home, after dinner with friends, while walking and from my smartphone :)
Do you also check it at times when you should be relaxing?
I can see what you are saying. The problem is, by doing that you are stopping yourself from relaxing away from the computer. I can understand the need to check emails on boring bus and train journeys etc; however I think it better to relax as much as you can when you are away from the computer. The lines between work and leisure get blurred when you are constantly checking your email.
Difficult subject… I am an email junkey, I admit. Couldn’t really think of not being able to check my mails while on the road. If I don’t feel like it, I just don’t check :)
I think it is a good idea to have email on your phone because it means you can get through the newsletters and notifications away from your desk. Anything that isn’t urgent and needs a reply can wait until you are on the computer, anything that is urgent may be done by phone. The important thing is that when you do get back to your computer, the only emails to go through are those you need to respond to without going a lot of promotional messages. I find the Mailbox app invaluable for help with this.