Who would have thought the day would come where there would actually be such thing as email addiction. Sadly, it’s real. I feel that the term itself can be used loosely, and may mean different things to different people. What it comes down to is the person’s expectation for quality of life (QOL). To me, QOL means keeping work at work, enjoying friends and family, exploring unfamiliar areas, and making the most of my time. So when I read some of the following stats, I thought to myself – have I been a victim of any of these stats, and has it negatively affected my QOL?
Source: craig1black @ flickr
15% of Americans say they are addicted to email.
59% of those using portable devices check email as it arrives.
43% of users sleep near their email unit to hear incoming messages.
40% consider email accessibility when they plan a trip.
83% check their email once a day while on vacation.
43% check their email first thing every morning.
Source: AOL, Opinion Research Corp., study 7/26/07
To add to that, in 2009 Americans will throw away 465 million vacation days (Expedia.com, 2009). That is equally as scary; not to mention that those vacation days that weren’t wasted, were also interrupted at least once 83% of the time.
I would like to touch on three of the stats above. First off, 15% of Americans say they are addicted to email. These stats were 2 years old at the time this article was written, and I’m sure numbers have only increased since then. I would think it’s fair to say that number has grown upwards of 20% now. With a 5th of our population openly admitting they have an addiction to email, I’m curious as to what number is actually attempting to change it. Email is not a drug and has no addictive quality, why not take steps to disconnect and improve your QOL? My number one reason to address even a minor addiction to my inbox is this: I want to enjoy my life and get the most of it while I’m here..Is my inbox providing that?
Second, 43% of users sleep near their email unit to hear incoming messages. This is sickening. For no reason, should you be interrupted in your bed to the vibration of your Blackberry. How are you supposed to go about your days with the thought that even your bed is not safe from interruption. Get your sleep; your messages will wait until the morning. The last stat I’ll address is that 83% check their email once a day while on vacation. I will follow it with an additional stat that will speak for itself.
“Men who take vacations every year lowered the risk of heart disease by 20%. Those who did not have a vacation for the 5 years of the study had the highest mortality and incidence of heart disease.”
Source: Houston Woman Magazine, 8/2009, re: State University of New York research
What good is your vacation if you’re not actually enjoying it? Chances are if you’re reading your email, you’re worried that something has gone wrong. If it has, what’s going to stop you from acting on it? Let your staff and associates handle it; that’s what they get paid for.
All said and done, my action item after reading the stats above is to pick ONE of the categories that I may fall into, such as checking email on vacation days or logging in first thing in the morning, and stop doing it. I work in IT, so I understand how difficult it may be to stay away from your inbox. It’s possible, and it’s worth it. In the long run you will probably be even more productive!
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