Chapter 8 – Monitor
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It is important to set aside time for both the TRAF process and acting. They are
different activities and you will need to schedule time for both.
Managing Email and Electronic Communication
Email and other forms of electronic communication have certainly changed the way
people work. Email is often critical to our success. We can learn a lot from young
people who have grown up with this form of communication. They will frequently send
very short and succinct messages via email and rarely send to long lists of people. They
will use a discussion list or a website if they want to send a message to more than one or
two people. In general terms it is advisable to:
- Limit your email messages to only what can be viewed on a single screen.
- Avoid long cc lists.
It is also a good idea to turn email off at various times of the day so that you are not
constantly interrupted during other tasks by a constant flow of messages coming in.
Some people find this very hard to do – they are almost addicted to the constant flow of
communication, they love and hate it! But it is easy to get into a state of continual partial
attention. This is very inefficient and can mean that you never get to work on any one
thing for more than a few minutes at a time. It then takes more time to get back into the
task you were trying to complete.
Structuring your day into segments so that you allow sufficient time to complete tasks
in your personal action folder can help you to be more efficient and effective.
Remember also to set aside some time to think and reflect, as well as time to rest
and refresh. A break for a five-minute walk will reward you with an increase in your
productivity, result in fresh thinking and avoid repetitive strain injuries caused by sitting at
a computer for uninterrupted long periods of time.