Do you “Do E-mail” or “Sort your Work?”

How many times have you heard someone say, “I’ve gotta do e-mail?” Or, how many times have you said it yourself?

Consider this. E-mail itself is not a task. It delivers tasks. You don’t “do e-mail.” You go through it, read it, sort it, and manage it.

I don’t get this – “I’m gonna DO e-mail.” That’s like saying, when you go to the post office, “‘I’m gonna do mail.” Or–when you go to the grocery store, “I’m going to do groceries.”

Sure, you need to set time aside to review the new stuff in your inbox. But that is “sorting,” not “doing.” Your thoughts drive your perspectives. Maybe a shift in thinking will help.

When you shift your thinking from, “I’ve got to do e-mail,” to “I’ve got work to do” (regardless of whether it was delivered by e-mail or a visit by the boss), you are on the road to better and faster results.

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Related posts:

1. The Difference between “Sorting” and “Working” e-mail
2. E-mail Tip: How many times do you read and reread an E-mail message?
3. I Don’t GET it! Doesn’t ANYone “see” the impact of e-mail excellence in the workplace?
4. Trouble Managing Your E-Mail? Behave Like an E-mergency Room Nurse
5. Email E-ddiction: Step 9