What about a World without Email? Cal Newport, in his stimulating book A World Without Email, contends the digital revolution – email, DMs, text messages, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook – has created “the hyperactive hivemind” that demolishes down time needed for concentration and focus and creative work, stirs up the demand to stay conversant with the hivemind conversations, and causes constant checking of email.
First, I had to go to my email to reauthenticate my login to comment. Ugh.
To cut back on the interferences, I unsubscribe with abandon. I appreciate ministry-related content that is helpful, but if I get too many, even if they are usually good, I'm out. If they intersperse marketing emails between real content emails, I'm out. If I didn't sign up, I'm out.
I don't allow any of my social media apps to show notifications on my phone. I'll check periodically, but I don't need pings, rings, and tri-tones alerting me that a person I don't know from a Facebook group commented on a post about someone's chihuahua's hangnail.
That said, I appreciate the positives of email and think it is still the better alternative to phone calls, fax machines, and snail mail for work and ministry.
If email causes this much problem, imagine what social media does!
For me, email is not an issue. Social media is an issue. The urge to be "in the conversation" drives me to social media, and the constant barrage of content leaves me anxious. Also, the desire to create content to be seen, and when I don't create content it drives my anxiety up having the feeling I've left something undone.
I've toyed with taking social media apps off my phone. But I had to re-install them to engage with people for the ministries I am involved with. So, I have turned off notifications, and the little badge number on the app icon. I work to only scroll through social media five minutes at a time. I've also stopped blogging. Coupled with social media and the "need" to make content drove my anxiety through the roof. I still plan to write and post on another platform, but not as often as required to keep a blog up to date.
Not to expose any important secrets Scot, but I would be curious what your practices are in light of your consistent history of quickly responding to email. Do you prioritize based on who is doing the sending? Do you ever ignore an email, even if it comes with a question? Do you batch? I know many scholars and writers, but you are clearly on the high end of those who respond in a timely manner.
Seems like this is a revisit to the way of thought whenever a technological change happens that jobs will be lost, etc. Work evolves along with technology. It has also dramatically increased resources to learn from others via the internet, email, share concepts and build on them, reduced the amount of trees used from "putting everything on paper" as well as time spent typing on paper, postage, snail mail, etc. I have to wonder if people thought the industrial revolution would cause similar issues at that time? If someone can't stop checking emails, Facebook pages, etc., at work is it a personal boundary, self-control issue or "hyperactive hive mind"? There are ways to impose self limits on things, like only allowing x amount of time spent on email a day, only checking for x amount of time when arriving at work and before leaving, not having access to work email at home, etc. What about the people who just want to talk at work when you have to get a project done? Do you say, "Hey, can we postpone this til Tuesday, I really have to get this project done by end of day?" I am not saying it doesn't do what the book says, but it can be a "newer" way to waste time at work, to avoid getting the work done, etc. Just my thoughts on this....
First, I had to go to my email to reauthenticate my login to comment. Ugh.
To cut back on the interferences, I unsubscribe with abandon. I appreciate ministry-related content that is helpful, but if I get too many, even if they are usually good, I'm out. If they intersperse marketing emails between real content emails, I'm out. If I didn't sign up, I'm out.
I don't allow any of my social media apps to show notifications on my phone. I'll check periodically, but I don't need pings, rings, and tri-tones alerting me that a person I don't know from a Facebook group commented on a post about someone's chihuahua's hangnail.
That said, I appreciate the positives of email and think it is still the better alternative to phone calls, fax machines, and snail mail for work and ministry.
If email causes this much problem, imagine what social media does!
For me, email is not an issue. Social media is an issue. The urge to be "in the conversation" drives me to social media, and the constant barrage of content leaves me anxious. Also, the desire to create content to be seen, and when I don't create content it drives my anxiety up having the feeling I've left something undone.
I've toyed with taking social media apps off my phone. But I had to re-install them to engage with people for the ministries I am involved with. So, I have turned off notifications, and the little badge number on the app icon. I work to only scroll through social media five minutes at a time. I've also stopped blogging. Coupled with social media and the "need" to make content drove my anxiety through the roof. I still plan to write and post on another platform, but not as often as required to keep a blog up to date.
Not to expose any important secrets Scot, but I would be curious what your practices are in light of your consistent history of quickly responding to email. Do you prioritize based on who is doing the sending? Do you ever ignore an email, even if it comes with a question? Do you batch? I know many scholars and writers, but you are clearly on the high end of those who respond in a timely manner.
Seems like this is a revisit to the way of thought whenever a technological change happens that jobs will be lost, etc. Work evolves along with technology. It has also dramatically increased resources to learn from others via the internet, email, share concepts and build on them, reduced the amount of trees used from "putting everything on paper" as well as time spent typing on paper, postage, snail mail, etc. I have to wonder if people thought the industrial revolution would cause similar issues at that time? If someone can't stop checking emails, Facebook pages, etc., at work is it a personal boundary, self-control issue or "hyperactive hive mind"? There are ways to impose self limits on things, like only allowing x amount of time spent on email a day, only checking for x amount of time when arriving at work and before leaving, not having access to work email at home, etc. What about the people who just want to talk at work when you have to get a project done? Do you say, "Hey, can we postpone this til Tuesday, I really have to get this project done by end of day?" I am not saying it doesn't do what the book says, but it can be a "newer" way to waste time at work, to avoid getting the work done, etc. Just my thoughts on this....