Devoted to small businesses and those who run them

Can you give up email for just one day per week?

Alfa Mercado at Productivity Goal has discovered that some businesses are implementing No Email Days.

I'm wondering how this would work. Would you have an autoresponder message set up so clients and suppliers would know you weren't ignoring them?

Or perhaps the No Email Days concept only applies to internal emails.

It would be interesting to follow progress on this, as while it might have benefits, I can also see some limitations.

Internally, it may be accepted. It would be a matter of prioritizing and being organized to make sure all important communications have been handled before the "No Email Day."

This may be an incentive to explore other communication options such as internal wikis or blogs. I wonder if it will save time and increase productivity in the long run.

It seems to me a more effective solution would be to give employees training and support in how to manage their incoming email e.g. setting up folders, rules, work flows, time management etc.

Equally important is training in writing and responding to emails to minimize the number and frequency. And then there's writing effective emails.

Email is so easy to use as a tool, but it seems many people find it less easy to use and manage in a productive way.