Comments on: How we put a man on the moon without email http://timebackmanagement.com/blog/how-we-put-a-man-on-the-moon-without-email/ Working At The Intersection of Personal Productivity and Lean Manufacturing Wed, 09 May 2012 15:37:03 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Shelby http://timebackmanagement.com/blog/how-we-put-a-man-on-the-moon-without-email/comment-page-1/#comment-481 Shelby Wed, 10 Mar 2010 14:38:16 +0000 #comment-481 Nice post. timebackmanagement.com deserves an award. Nice post. timebackmanagement.com deserves an award.

]]> By: Tim Walker http://timebackmanagement.com/blog/how-we-put-a-man-on-the-moon-without-email/comment-page-1/#comment-30 Tim Walker Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-30 Spot-on as usual, Dan. The more I think about these issues, the more I think of them as generalizing to all sorts of situations in which the wise course is to remember that "Just because we have Tool X doesn't mean we have to use it." The edge case might be nuclear weapons, but it also applies to everything from television to electric can openers. Maybe grandma needs an electric can opener because her arthritis keeps her from using a manual one - but what about you and me? Spend a tiny fraction of the money for the manual one, which (a) fits easily in the utensil drawer, and (b) will last you years and years without your having to worry about the motor burning out. As for my e-mail habits, I've been much better lately about shutting Outlook done while I'm working. I find I can go a couple of hours during the workday without checking it - with no penalties whatsoever. Spot-on as usual, Dan. The more I think about these issues, the more I think of them as generalizing to all sorts of situations in which the wise course is to remember that “Just because we have Tool X doesn’t mean we have to use it.”

The edge case might be nuclear weapons, but it also applies to everything from television to electric can openers. Maybe grandma needs an electric can opener because her arthritis keeps her from using a manual one – but what about you and me? Spend a tiny fraction of the money for the manual one, which (a) fits easily in the utensil drawer, and (b) will last you years and years without your having to worry about the motor burning out.

As for my e-mail habits, I’ve been much better lately about shutting Outlook done while I’m working. I find I can go a couple of hours during the workday without checking it – with no penalties whatsoever.

]]> By: coldclimate http://timebackmanagement.com/blog/how-we-put-a-man-on-the-moon-without-email/comment-page-1/#comment-32 coldclimate Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-32 I read my email once an hour (maybe a little more). I've turned off the visual popups and noises Outlook makes. I get more work done, and the only time it becomes a problem is when people who run their lives via "Email as IM" walk round to my deck and accost me with "why haven't you meailed me back X,Y and Z - it's urgent!". They need a little re-eduction, and over time it will come. As a dope-smoking cobalt programming ex-folk singer once told me, "Do the importnant, not the urgent" I read my email once an hour (maybe a little more). I’ve turned off the visual popups and noises Outlook makes. I get more work done, and the only time it becomes a problem is when people who run their lives via “Email as IM” walk round to my deck and accost me with “why haven’t you meailed me back X,Y and Z – it’s urgent!”. They need a little re-eduction, and over time it will come.

As a dope-smoking cobalt programming ex-folk singer once told me, “Do the importnant, not the urgent”

]]> By: Dollars Blog http://timebackmanagement.com/blog/how-we-put-a-man-on-the-moon-without-email/comment-page-1/#comment-89 Dollars Blog Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-89 email can be a big nuisance. It can become a habit to check too many times, so best to only check once in a great while so you don't waste too much time constantly checking. email can be a big nuisance. It can become a habit to check too many times, so best to only check once in a great while so you don’t waste too much time constantly checking.

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