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Email Time Blocking Doesn’t Work (Here’s Why)

You’ve tried the email time block, you picked your two windows a day, you closed the tab in between, and you felt SO organized. And then Thursday happened, and somehow you were in your inbox for half the freaking day, your actual work never got touched, and by Friday night, you were checking email in bed.

And before you blame your discipline, researchers have actually tested email batching, and what they found is not what the productivity advice keeps promising. By the end of this post, you’re going to have all six rules of what I call the Triage-and-Route System, and you’ll collect them as we go. The first one lands fast, so we’re almost there already. Each one comes with the science for why it works, because the why is what makes it stick.

If we haven’t met yet, hi, I’m Jenae. I run Productivity Stacks, where we dig into the actual science behind productivity advice for freelancers and small business owners. There’s a free download, the Email Triage and Route Kit, if you want the action steps right now. But stick with me to get all of the steps and the science behind them to really make it stick.

Why the Email Time Block Keeps Collapsing

So why does the email time block keep collapsing? Well, it’s because email is not one kind of task. One message can take a single second. You read the subject line, spam, delete. The next one is a quote request that needs prep, numbers, maybe input from somebody else. That’s a multi-day project hiding behind an email to-do task.

More Actionable Breakdowns Below 👇

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More Actionable Breakdowns

Did you miss one of our previous breakdowns? Here are some you might find helpful.

Future-Proofing You: Adapting to Thrive in the Age of Distraction

Are you constantly battling between productivity and distraction in the digital age? As a business owner or freelancer, your smartphone is your lifeline, but could it also be hindering your success? Discover how the digital revolution is rewiring our brains and transforming our behavior. Arm yourself with the knowledge you need to master your digital tools and unleash your full potential in the modern business landscape.

Think Smarter, Not Harder: How to Implement Lessons Learned For Business Growth According to Neuroscience

Your daily experiences, interactions, and projects are shaping your mind and influencing your success. By understanding how your brain decides what to remember, forget, and transform into core skills, you can harness the power of experiential learning to skyrocket your business and optimize your life. Learn how to train your brain the right way to think smarter, not harder.

How “Vacation Mode” Unlocks Your Prioritization Ninja (Hint: it’s not about self-care)

I have to admit that I don’t remember where I read the actual term “vacation mode” for the first time but suffice it to say I did not invent it. We could even call it the “vacation phenomenon”. I know most think of “vacation mode” as that feeling of being on vacation and that’s not what I mean here…but whatever you want to call it, I am capitalizing on it now and it also just came up in a discussion in virtual coworking in the inner circle. PLUS, the great news is you don’t need a postponed wedding to use this trick…So let’s get to it. 💪

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I hope you found this valuable!

Wishing you much productivity!

- Jenae :)