Email - the good and the bad

One of the reasons I love email is that it really does the trick of giving me a false of productivity. Yep, I can beaver away for two hours and not get one business-related, income-generating task accomplished. For example, let's say this journalist is on deadline and needs to get a quote from someone known for his unpleasantness (toward her). What better way to stave off the dreaded phone call than to focus on cleaning out ye olde inbox?

Aren't the depths of fooling oneself are absolutely amazing!

OK. It's January and the jig is up. Oh, come on, you knew some kind of resolution was about to appear. It's January! Besides, the first paragraph gave plenty of foreshadowing. I'm changing my routine and it doesn't involve diet or exercise. For the first hour (at least) at my desk, there will be no email. There will be no Facebook or LinkedIn for that matter either. I'll be writing. Or editing. Or making phone calls. Or billing. Or making a book. Or brainstorming.

And, for the record. Not all email is great. You know the type. Asking you for money. Complaining (to put it mildly) about some sin unbeknownst to you, the apparent perpetrator. Want to know how to deal with those unpleasantries in a very professional, high-road sort of way? Check out this post from Alexandra Franzen. You'll love it, and her.