I’ve been carrying a black L.L. Bean bag filled with writing projects. I keep thinking that I will surely have a moment here or there when I can dive into my bag.
That write-now moment just does not jump out from my current what-the-heck-is-going-on-here life.
So what do I do when I can hide out for a half an hour? Do I dive into my black L.L. Bean bag?
No, I turn on my email. Why? I can’t seem to help myself. Email has a stronger pull than Fun-Sized Snickers.
Tonight, my personal email was full of this and that, but I got snagged by an email from a colleague: “Help! Things are going awry.”
Did I say, “Wait a minute–I have time for myself now. I have done what I had to do. I’ve made my daily call to my 89-year-old mother. Now I can look into my black bag”?
Of course, I didn’t say that. I was snagged. Answering that one email led to reading more emails. You know the drill.
My dissertation clients tell me how email is the black hole. We know that to be true. But even though we know that whatever we do, we must not go there, we go there.
What to do? A client told me about a program that locks her email so that she can’t open it. I want to know more about this.
Email? Snickers? Indulging in either leaves me with that low, crummy feeling of what-was-I-thinking? In the end, of course, it’s about mental toughness. Isn’t everything?
But if there are warnings or signals or blocks that we can put in our own way just so that we pause and think before we act –before we open up our email—that would be helpful to changing this behavior.
Sounds like a smart tip to me!
What works for you?
Looking forward to hearing from you,
Nancy
Nancy Whichard, PhD, PCC
Your International Dissertation Coach
www.nancywhichard.com
P.S. My Smart Tips newsletter is going out—sign-up at www.nancywhichard.com.
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