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Email Junky

OK, I am beginning to realize that I am an email junky. Extreme, you say? Hmmm...

 How do I know I'm addicted? Well, I check my messages numerous times a day, too many to count, on my iPhone and on my personal and work laptops as if the email coming through on each of these devices is going to be significantly different and better. Hah! 

 The curious thing is that when I don't check my email for hours at a time, there's nothing there that couldn't have waited anyway. There is rarely anything that required an immediate reply. 

 I check my email several times a day because it seems like I'm always expecting something important - personal or work-related emails, it doesn't matter. (Oh, and did I mention that I manage three email accounts??)
The point is that I'm always waiting. And, that's not any fun. In fact, it's pathetic and mentally exhausting. So, I've decided to limit email to between two to three times a day: in the morning, mid-day (if I must), and before 7 pm. That way my evening will be email free.

 Even though I've tried this before and it hasn't worked for very long, I'm determined to be successful this time around. I've noticed that I'm anxious and distracted and it's due to my email habit. I've got to conquer it, once and for all. This is all part of a bigger plan, by the way, to slow down, smell the roses and be present in the moment. I've already started meditating and writing every day again, which are important rituals for me. Cutting down on emails is just another piece of my wellness puzzle.

 How about you? How do you handle the distractions of contemporary technological society? Do you have bans on checking email, reading blogs, surfing the web? How has that gone for  you? 

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