2 brilliantemail ew email takes on a life and priority of its own. We n have been conditioned to check our email continually and respond instantly to new message alerts. We save every email `just in case', and hence require ever larger mail- boxesandservers. Five questions that recur regularly when talking to clients and runningworkshopsare: A HowoftendoIreallyneedtocheckmyemails? HowlongcanIleaveanemailbeforeresponding? Isitacceptabletoswitchoffmymobileemaildevice (BlackBerryandiPhone,etc.),whenIamoutoftheoffice, particularlywhenonleave? What'sthebestwaytostoreandorganisemymailbox? HowcanIstaywithinmymailboxsizelimit? Constantly checking your email is probably the number one timethief,makinguslessproductiveandincreasinglystressed. In2005astudysponsoredbyHewlett-Packardfoundthatcon- stantlydippinginandoutofyourinboxcandiminishyourIQ byuptotenpoints.Thisistwicetheimpactinflictedbytaking drugs such as marijuana for a prolonged period of time.Why? Becauseconstantinterruptionsstopusthinkingstrategicallyand re-programme our brains to think only tactically.This is not a goodideaifyourjobrequiresahighlevelofstrategicthinking. SpiraandGoldes(intheirreport`Informationoverload:wehave mettheenemyandheisus')estimatedthatconstantinterrup- tions of taking phone calls and checking emails costAmerican businessastaggering$650millionperyear.Theyestimatedthat the average knowledge worker (such as banker, lawyer, jour- nalist) lost 2.1 hours a day due to interruptions. In addition, many studies have now shown that multitasking is not as pro- ductiveasweliketoimagine.Foragoodreviewofthegrowing evidence in favour of focused behaviour see Maggie Jackson's