First I’d like to give a big welcome to those of you who are receiving your first issue of Logical Tips. We had a big influx of new subscribers this week thanks to a mention in at least one (and maybe more than one) newspaper. I hope you all enjoy it!
In my research for another newsletter I write, I ran across an article about a study that indicates people feel more “rushed” than they did in 1994.
Basically, the study found that even with all the new technology people have available, they don’t feel they are working faster, smarter or better. It says, “in 1994, 82 percent said they accomplished at least half their daily planned work but that number fell to 50 percent last year.” How depressing is that? I mean one of the things that’s supposed to be good about doing an honest day’s work is a sense of accomplishment. The satisfaction of a job well done. Seeing tangible evidence that you made a difference, even if it’s on a small scale.
The other thing I thought was interesting is that people now spend more hours at their computers, but accomplish less. The study attributes it to the fact that in 1994, people were not “bombarded” with email and now they are. We all have to worry about every nasty thing that’s out there online, from icky email that has to be filtered to attacks that have to be blocked.
I went online in early 1995 and I have to agree that things were a whole lot simpler then. I joined CompuServe and learned a tremendous amount in the forums about small business, computing, and writing. The Internet was a lot safer and friendlier then. Many of the folks I virtually met way back then are still my online buddies today. But back then, the only email in my inbox was from people I knew; it was a great way to communicate, especially for those of us who can touch type.
Unfortunately, it’s not possible to go back in time. I’m not really sure when the online world became so much more complicated. Probably it was a gradual thing. Maybe it’s all the other things you can do along with email. You can surf the ‘net, IM, go shopping, listen to music, watch movies, and so forth. The average cubicle dweller can goof off in more ways than at any time in the past.
Unfortunately, email is rapidly approaching a tipping point where it will cease to be useful as a business communications medium at all. You’d think with all this technology, someone could figure out how to make it work well again. Employers can monitor IM usage, put in more filters and so forth, but the bottom line is that employees are getting less done with more.
I wish I knew the answer. Because the person or company that figures out how to make email a workable productivity tool again will become very, very rich 😉