Drawing my lines in the sand: Email, meetings and getting in touch with me

I get a lot of email and found that as used it was a barrier to completing tasks that are essential for me. Email cedes too much of my time and my context to other people. Using email as I had been meant that I had to check my email daily and skim through to find what required immediate attention and then process the rest. This had to be done daily and took a lot of my time. I also had email pushed on my phone. It became a constant distraction. Finally, I realized, that it ceded a lot of control over my life to other people. It allowed others to dictate what was urgent or an emergency. This made me constantly reactive to others and made it difficult to focus on the tasks at hand that I needed to complete. I have started using AwayFind. I tried it for one week and started a paid subscription. It is the first system/service that has allowed me to get control back. AwayFind works simply, but it's key features are 1. allowing you designate what email gets pushed directly to you and 2. creating a means for individuals to bypass your filters to find you immediately. I now have a basic system set up.

1. I check my email twice per week. That's it. It isn't pushed to my phone.
2. If we are friends, family or close colleagues, you probably have my cell number and can use it if you need me right away.
3. If you don't have my cell or work number and can't wait, you can get into contact with me immediately using my AwayFind contact form. This puts the responsibility on the shoulders of those contacting me. The AwayFind contact form is the equivalent of making a 911 call to me. I will get the communication on my phone by text and by voice. I no longer have to determine urgency, you do.

The amount of dedicated working time this has given me hasn't increased. It is just more productive. In this current economic and labor environment where everyone is being asked to work substantially more for less money and with the same amount of time every moment counts. I also have more about contacting me over at my FAQ on this topic, including how to schedule meetings with me.

Much of this approach is inspired by the approach taken by M. Mann and is generally taken from him.