The Perfect Email November 28, 2012My CareerOff

Are you OCD? No, not that kind. We’re talking about having Online Compulsive Disorder.

One study shows 57 percent of work interruptions involve technology like emails, social networking, texting and Instant Messaging.

So, how can you increase productivity at work by reducing distractions?

Irena Boostani, media relations manager at Comunicano, shares how her office has increased productivity by taking communication to a new level. By moving away from emails all day long, she says her office works more efficiently.

They use BaseCamp to manage clients’ projects. It’s an online portal that allows you to view document edits and internal and clients’ availability — all in one place. Yammer is for internal announcements and updates. Turbo-Bridge helps you schedule conferences, without needing to book in advance, so meetings can be planned on the fly.

Skype‘s messaging option helps coworkers stay in touch throughout the day. It also makes discussing logistics easier, since you can search for the information later.

“This uncluttered our inboxes and made it easier to track projects,” says Boostani.

For businesses with 1,000 employees or more, the cost of such interruptions exceeds $10 million annually. Regarding email specifically, Boostani says it’s about balance.

“We get at least a hundred emails a day each. So, we use it for daily project-related activities.” Most importantly, she says they avoid bombarding each other with unnecessary replies.

Other ways to cut down on email distractions include setting specific times to check it, archiving and organizing your emails.

Bonus PINK Link: Here are five ways to improve employee performance.

How to you keep technology from distracting you?

By Sarah Grace Alexander

“America is addicted to wars of distraction.” Barbara Ehrenreich

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