Take A Break!

At least here in the US, the week before the Labor Day holiday (Monday September 2nd) is usually a quiet week for me. It's the last week of summer, the last week of freedom for children before they go back to school (so many customers take the week off) and it's also my Wedding Anniversary - all good reasons not to travel.

So I use the time to catch up on paperwork, make some calls, and most importantly of all - do some writing. As I am now working on both the Third Edition of Mastering Technical Sales and an add-on book with a working title of "The Trusted Advisor Sales Engineer" I have about 60,000 words to write or revise before the end of the year.

That means I need to focus and concentrate on a single task. That means I turn off email for 3-4 hour periods. And that means I get almost no distractions and get a lot done without the annoying "ding" or the temptation to check my inbox. I know if someone really wants to reach me they'll call me.

Try it. Take baby steps. Next time you really need to focus on a task ..

1. Turn off all the visual and sound notifications that you have new email. Don't forget to silence the phone and tablet too.
2. Then - go into your email settings, and set the synchronization time for email to 60 minutes.
3. Finally - shut down your email for a couple of hours.

If you are working on your #1 most important, critical task - there is no reason why you shouldn't treat it the same way as being in front of a customer. No interruptions!

Give it a try ..

For other email tips go read "Are You Really Paid To Read 200 Emails/Day?"