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There was a time I prided myself on an inbox zero at the end of each day. Perhaps it is a stage in life we all go through, but it can also be a sign of shaky boundaries. What felt like control of my inbox was, in reality, a lack of control of my time. Today, I am on an extreme side where I only reply to a percentage of my emails, and many are left in my inbox until I need them. And that is where the key is – whether I need them.
Always Available
Needless to say, my time in investment banking was based on the premise of being always on and always available. Having started in the client-facing side of the M&A business, you expected to get requests at odd times, and you did not think twice about executing them on the spot. There was no:
I will deal with that tomorrow
Having spent the first 5 years of my career living like this, layered with a high dose of workaholism and a sense of worth tied to my work, this programming is still in the process of being upgraded. The conditioning of the environment was strong. After all, that is what everybody else was doing, so coming out of university, you just assumed that was the way as well.
For me, it also gave me a sense of purpose – I was indeed proud of doing my best work for my clients. I saw that as my value, so I had no time boundaries. I did not see the need for them.
Always Connected
As I moved to markets, years later, there had been a massive digital shift. You used to be expected to be close to a computer most of the time, but there was a recognition that the focus was on getting the work done, rather than on interacting with people digitally. As iPhones replaced the already widespread usage of the BlackBerry and instant communications tools were generalised, the expectation of immediate responses was established.
It was not about whether you were working on something, it was also about showing that you were.
Inbox zero was a reflection of this. You could ensure you were on top of all your requests, you knew what was happening on the floor and on the markets, you made sure everybody knew you were working on “things”. What many failed to realise was that this meant you were always working for someone else, on someone else’s schedule, completing someone else’s to-do list. Your email was your to-do list.
Whilst this could work for some junior roles, it was hardly the way to manage your time, your priorities and honestly, your career.
Start with the basics
Amidst this chaos, I started developing a system to have a to-do list of my own, with priorities that I identified and projects I knew I wanted (and had) to work on. Because, despite the expectation that I would always be on top of my inbox, there was also the expectation that I would have time to think and define the projects for myself and the team. That I had space to think and execute. The reality was different, and time was scarce.
So, I took baby steps.
I created a new to-do list system (inspired by bullet journaling) that was split out into my areas of responsibility. This way, I was able to get a visual perspective of how I was balancing my time. I also changed my email habits. Instead of interrupting work to respond to an email, I would take note of it if it required my input and add it to my list, or make sure someone was working on it. That way, I knew I did not need to look at my emails in search of the next thing to do, and I could easily have all my projects – mine or from others – side by side. And choose what to work on next.
Take it to the next level
Over time, my to-do list evolved to include what other team members were working on, and where no deliverable from me was required, but I needed to know where things were. Yet again, this avoided me having to be always on, waiting for people to send me things to review. I knew I had to make time for it, but it didn’t stop me from focusing on my own priorities.
You may wonder – well, you still needed to deal with the expectation of responding immediately! Yes, that is a fact. Over time, as I accumulated tasks and roles, this just stopped being a possibility. Accumulating age and seniority may have helped as well. I allocated periods of the day to deal with certain email-related items – such as expenses, reports, requests, etc – and would deal with these in bulk. That allowed me to still deal with email, but on my own terms.
As to the people with whom I really had to maintain a high response rate, I added colours to my email rules. By then, I had switched off all email notifications, so I maintained them only for a handful of people that I was willing to interrupt my work for. No more stopping for every piece of news.
Whilst that is the reality many have to face, that was merely an expectation I had set to myself. I was indeed in markets, but I was not trading, nor was I on the client side.
It is easy to forget what our true responsibilities are when in an open floor surrounded by people all with different responsibilities.
The new me
By the latter years in banking, I owned up to the fact that my role and responsibilities were different from most people on the floor. It’s the only way commuting from Lisbon to London for 2 years was possible.
It took a high level of reflection on my own personality, but also of discussion with a few of my managers about what they expected and how I could comply or not. Mostly, they understood that the amount of work that I was dealing with required stringent prioritisation and precluded me from having my inbox at zero at the end of the day. The majority of them did not have this either. So they called when something was urgent or if I failed to respond to something they needed more immediately. And without making me feel guilty.
I have brought this sense of ownership to my new portfolio life.
It is probably harder than ever to ensure I prioritise and compartmentalise my different passions, aka, areas of work. I have created separate email inboxes, and I run strict priority lists. Luckily, the search function has dramatically improved in the email providers, so I can also easily track what I need, when I need it. Yes, there is still the odd school email that I miss. And there are plenty of people who get very delayed responses if they are outside my direct sphere of work.
But, mostly, my email is starting to work for me, rather than me working for it.
It has been a process to get here and take control of my time. And as I said before, part can be to do with age and seniority in the organisation. A large part has to do with having no boundaries on your time and a high-level of insecurity.
What will people think if I took 3 days to respond?”
Well, maybe we should think instead,
What will I think if I follow my priorities?