Email Communication Policy:
Email and other communications during the day are generally disruptive to thoughtful work.  Taking a 5 minute break from intense thought really results in a loss of 30-45 minutes as your mind re-establishes the prior focus.

When I can concentrate – no distractions – I can be very productive for my clients.  In order to achieve the highest quality and quantity of work, I have implemented the following Email Communication Policy.

I am greatly reducing the interval between times that I check email.

In the past, I’ve had Outlook retrieve new messages every 5 to 10 minutes.  Now, I will not have outlook check for new messages at all.

Hint: I’ve actually set it to 240 minutes (4 hours) but I’ve also set Outlook to “Work Offline” which causes it to NOT retrieve messages unless I specifically request that it do so.

Note: The Weaning Process
I may not adhere strictly to this policy immediately.  I am adding a note to my signature that will let those I email know how to better reach me in the case of an emergency.  It is currently, November 20, 2007.  I anticipate that I will have this “policy” fully implemented by December 1st.