Stop Reading and Writing Email To Think Creatively

Marc Brownstein says that e-mail is diverting our best waking hours from thinking, conceptualizing and dreaming big ideas. Some good suggestions on dealing with email overload:

1. Let people know that you won’t respond immediately to their e-mails. If you respond immediately, you are only training senders to expect that kind of response every time.

2. Resist the urge. There are times when you should read/reply and times when you shouldn’t. Set aside 30 minutes at the beginning of your day, 30 minutes in the middle, and 30 minutes at the end of your day (at home, after my kids are in bed for me!), to go through your e-mail.

3. Make exceptions to the rule. If you have a BlackBerry, or wireless handheld device, check e-mail waiting for the elevator, waiting to be seated in a restaurant or waiting in the reception area before a meeting. That is a good use of downtime and allows you to re-focus when you are back in the office. Link.

Amit Agarwal

Amit Agarwal

Google Developer Expert, Google Cloud Champion

Amit Agarwal is a Google Developer Expert in Google Workspace and Google Apps Script. He holds an engineering degree in Computer Science (I.I.T.) and is the first professional blogger in India.

Amit has developed several popular Google add-ons including Mail Merge for Gmail and Document Studio. Read more on Lifehacker and YourStory

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Awards & Titles

Digital Inspiration has won several awards since it's launch in 2004.

Google Developer Expert

Google Developer Expert

Google awarded us the Google Developer Expert award recogizing our work in Google Workspace.

ProductHunt Golden Kitty

ProductHunt Golden Kitty

Our Gmail tool won the Lifehack of the Year award at ProductHunt Golden Kitty Awards in 2017.

Microsoft MVP Alumni

Microsoft MVP Alumni

Microsoft awarded us the Most Valuable Professional (MVP) title for 5 years in a row.

Google Cloud Champion

Google Cloud Champion

Google awarded us the Champion Innovator title recognizing our technical skill and expertise.

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