How to reclaim control over your overwhelm in the age of increasing digitalisation and reclaim your productivity.
Remember when communication took effort?
When I joined the working world (as an administrative assistant), you had two options to send a message. You could either pick up the phone and hope they would pick up the landline. Or you could sit down and write a letter. The address would need to be accurate and you had to ensure it had the right postage. Then you headed to the postbox to send it on its way.
Every word was carefully considered. Communication was deliberate, thoughtful and took time. (and money)
Fast forward to today. Emails, instant messages, notifications and alerts flood our devices. A single click can send an email to hundreds of people and our inboxes are no longer private. They are open highways for internal updates and marketing campaigns. We receive questions and messages instantly with often little effort.
Which has huge benefits in terms of the modern world, but the ease of communicating has positives and negatives. The World Economic Forum are raising concerns about the rise in anxiety in the younger generation. However I think this applies to anyone who’s living in the Information Age.
This Forbes article from 2019 highlights the the issue that technology by itself cannot be the solution. The systems we have adopted have solved some of the problems. Consequently they have created new ones that we need to understand.
I often find myself wondering on receipt of a message or alert. If there was a cost involved in these communications, would this person or company have bothered?
While digital technology has made business faster and efficient, it has also created an overwhelming demand on our attention. The real question is: Are we using it efficiently? or is it actually contributing to distractions and overwhelm?
The hidden cost of unlimited access
With greater digital automation comes great responsibility. Inboxes now resemble a never ending to do list. Messages pinging in at all hours. The pressure to reply to everything instantly. The dreaded “just following up” emails. A workday hijacked by constant notifications.
Business owners and professionals are spending hours sifting through emails, many not relevant to them. But how can you possibly know that without reading them?
How to regain control over your inbox.
Instead of letting your inbox dictate your day, here are some ways to set boundaries and reclaim your time and productivity.
- Set email rules and filters: Automate inbox organisation so that only high priority messages reach you instantly.
- Schedule communication time: Instead of constantly being “on,” allocate specific blocks of time throughout the day. During these times, you will respond to communication.
- Unsubscribe: The newsletter you never open? The brands 50th promo email of the day? Unsubscribe.
- Build a template library: If you frequently respond with similar messages, have templates that you can copy, paste and adapt.
- Delegate where possible: Think of a Virtual Assistant like a post sorter, gate keeper and executive assistant all in one.
Smart Automation Friend or Foe
Just this week I attended a full days workshop on how to use AI seamlessly within business. When used correctly, automation is powerful. Think AI inbox sorting, chat bots and auto replies. But when it’s done poorly, it creates frustration. It needs some oversight and you need to set strict boundaries.
The key is to automate the repetitive but keep the human touch too.
Digital tools should work for you not against you.
We live in a world where everyone expects an immediate response. But constant availability will lead to stress and burnout. Your time is your most precious resource and setting clear boundaries is essential for maintaining productivity and your sanity.
It is all too easy to think that digital accessibility has been a force for good. It is also easy to believe that you can do it all. But if you are struggling with communication overload and information age overwhelm get in touch. I can talk you through how to either implement these strategies or handle them for you.