Writing, Mornings, and Your Email

Like a lot of other writers, I start work super early in the morning. This isn’t because productivity gurus have gotten in my head about how the wee hours having some kind of magical secret. It’s simply logistical — starting between 4:00 and 5:00 a.m. is the only time my house is quiet and I don’t get interrupted.

But almost every morning, contrary to what you might hear experts say, I check my email.

Look and move, but don’t answer

For most people, this backfires. As soon as they see a message, they cave to the emotional impulse to immediately handle it. That means they usually end up putting their own priorities on the back burner.

But for me, the goal is not to immediately put out fires — at 5:00 a.m., my brain isn’t awake enough to do that well, anyway. My goal is only to get awareness and get organized for later.

So, I usually don’t open a single message. I just delete what doesn’t matter, drag what I can into folders for later, and leave what I actually need to do that day in my inbox. I handle the inbox items at a time I’ve set aside for communications.

Critical thinking and decision-making can wait

Approaching my inbox this way allows me to be productive without requiring me to be in a mental position for critical thinking or decision-making, whether on a draft or otherwise. By the time I’ve handled my messages and spent a little time on my social media feeds, I’ve had my coffee and actually feel ready for heavier cognitive jobs, including writing. The writing session ends up relaxed, because I already know what’s upcoming and don’t get caught off guard in the middle of drafting. And because I keep the same routine every day, my inbox never gets overwhelming, even if it takes me a while to answer the legitimate messages.

Picking priorities

Once you’ve cleaned out your inbox, it might be the case that you have some messages that are time sensitive and others that aren’t. I deal with this by jotting the names of the email senders down on a small piece of paper. This way, when I get back into my email during my communications session, I can go back right away to the messages from those people without forgetting a message that counts. For me, the visibility of the paper on the desk is helpful. But you could use an alternative approach, such as starring the messages or dragging them into a special Urgent folder.

If you have a system, go ahead and see what you’ve got

Productivity gurus advise us not to get into email in the morning simply because most of us don’t have a consistent system in place that ensures we stay in control of the rest of the day. But there’s nothing wrong with checking your inbox if you have a process that keeps that control in your court. Focusing on organization and awareness rather than response does that. As you get more successful and the need to communicate with marketers or clients increases, you’ll increasingly appreciate the ability to simultaneously get a picture of what’s happening without being thrown off your plans.