Email Sabbatical – Progress Report 1
What is an email sabbatical? That's a very good question. Well, since July (August really) I have been trying to make/find/create the time to work on life-coaching products. This is my dream – to have a website that is a resource for individuals AND fellow life-coaches.
So, I start things, I have great ideas - and for a lot of the products it simply means simply tweaking what I've been using with my clients. But my dream never seems to happen or move forwards.
And I know email is a big part of the problem. 1) Volume, 2) New and interesting opportunities and enquiries that come through via email and 3) My inability to NOT CHECK EMAIL, distract myself and get caught up in 1) and 2).
So, this email sabbatical is an experiment. The auto-responder telling people went on last Thursday lunchtime at 12.00pm. And since then I have had a few realizations…
REALIZATION NUMBER 1. In preparation for switching on my auto-responder, I began to unsubscribe from lots of newsletters and ezines. I hadn't realised I subscribed to SO MANY! and by this morning my email had already reduced significantly! I unsubscribed from a few more and it seems by head is already clearer…
REALIZATION NUMBER 2. The pull of email is stronger than I realised. I spent an hour going through my email (although I did make a couple of phone calls instead of write emails) before I even realised that the time had gone. And each of those emails I responded to already knows I'm on sabbatical because they will have received my auto-responder response. I am more of the problem than I realised…
REALIZATION NUMBER 3. The phone – takes more 'personal' effort than email. Maybe that's why we use email when really a phonecall would be quicker/easier. If you phone, you have to think about what you're going to say, be bright and cheery, look up the phone number and USE YOUR INTERPERSONAL SKILLS! It's more tiring than sitting down and whizzing off an email. But the phone is also better for creating a HUMAN CONNECTION. More on this later.
I think I am going to have to wean myself off email rather than go cold turkey… Enjoy your week people!
You seem to be back-sliding about mailing lists. I just got a notification that you had subscribed to the EcoReality mailing list today, and was quite surprised to get the auto-responder message back!
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