Woman stressed out by email.
Have you ever beat yourself up for not sending an email for days (or weeks), asked yourself, ‘Why haven’t I replied to that email already?’, or found yourself feeling mentally exhausted after sending just a few emails? You’re not alone, and you’re not crazy. If email paralyzes you or produces procrastination in a way that other seemingly small tasks don’t, it’s because of the psychological, emotional and even sometimes physical responses your body has to the task at hand.
Email has become an integral part of both our work and personal lives. In fact, it has become so ubiquitous that it is hard to imagine a world without it. But it can feel overwhelming and impact our productivity and mental health. Whether it’s the sheer volume of email we receive, the expectation of constant contact and response, or the desire to get it ‘just right’ before we hit send, there are many reasons that email can feel exhausting and overwhelming.
Volume And Expectations
On average, it’s estimated that people check their email about 15 times a day, and in each instance lose 15-25 minutes of non-email productivity. That’s about half of an eight-hour work day. But we all know that traditional work hours are no longer a parameter for most. It’s further estimated that the average person sends and receives more than 120 emails per day, with the number increasing about 4% per year.
As a result, the never-ending flow of content can become monotonous and time consuming. In addition, there are growing expectations of quick replies given the availability of computers, phones and tablets. In the workplace there is a commonly accepted 24-hour rule to replying to email. But unfortunately, that not only binds us to our devices constantly, it also creeps into our nights and weekends, giving no time to step away mentally or emotionally. These misaligned expectations for connectivity are a major culprit of email anxiety. While it can be difficult, it is important for everyone to set boundaries with themselves and others about expectations and timing.
Procrastination Is A Fear Of Failure
Much of communication is non-verbal. Voice, tone, inflection, body language and facial expression matter. So when we’re forced to convey any important or contextually dependent ideas, it can be hard to condense that into a typed message. Given that the weight of all our normal communication displays are boiled down to one medium, we often place a lot of significance on getting the exact wording, tone and length right. This is actually so common, that as far back as 2013 Psychology Today ran articles on emails and emotions, and how relationships are impacted by the language and tone used versus interpretation.
Further, the task of replying to emails can be put off due to our perception of difficulty, or the expectation of needing uninterrupted time to focus. This leads to a buildup of expectations, a buildup of emails and unfortunately, increased anxiety. Procrastination of this kind is common, and rooted in something deeper – fear. Fear of getting it right, fear of the to-do list, or some other fear that is causing paralysis. Psychologists recommend taking a step back and identifying your fear, then doing activities such as deep breathing that help calm and focus you. Next is finding a way to break the difficult task down into manageable parts. Maybe it’s sending one email, or writing the draft in completion. As the saying goes, don’t let perfection get in the way of progress.
The Cognitive Load
Email communication requires mental effort. Not only to process the information coming in, but in composing responses and organizing thoughts. When one has to deal with multiple, or many, emails it can lead to cognitive overload. This is when those feelings of being overwhelmed kick in. Decision fatigue is also to blame for our brain’s stress level to email. The more decisions we have to make, especially when they involve complex or important topics, the more mentally exhausted we become.
For many, the solution, at least in the short-term, is to avoid the culprit altogether. In this case, email. Avoidance behavior is normal when one feels drained. But it inevitably leads to a fuller inbox and a longer to-do list, compounding anxiety. Thankfully, we know that clutter and anxiety are linked. Thus, one solution to help with the cognitive load is organization – to simplify your inbox and email routine. It takes up-front work, but there are many tricks and tools that can help manage your productivity.
While email can be overwhelming and procrastination is a struggle for many, there are ways to overcome these challenges. The most important of which is to remind yourself that your mental and emotional health matter. If an email needs to wait, it can wait. It doesn’t have feelings to hurt. But if you know what you need to get done, then step back, take a deep breath and think about what the problem really is. From there you can make a plan for completing the task in as many small steps as necessary. And at the end of the day, step away for good. Give yourself the time and space to clear your head. Everyone’s expectations are different, and you must honor yours.