You already know that your email can be a source of stress. And if you’ve installed GTD in your workflow to even a small extent, you’ve found that you can reduce the stress of email by simply going through GTD’s Process and Organize phases. A recent article in The Telegraph quotes new research that “filing emails into folders also lowered levels of stress and prompted a sense of well-being because it helped people feel in control.”
That’s good, because “the study also found that people were unable to identify accurately when their body was showing signs of stress and often were unaware of their state.”
What are your signs that stress is building up?
Email ‘raises stress levels’
Email is supposed to make modern life easier, but it is making workers more stressed than ever as they struggle to stay on top of hundreds of messages per day, according to researchers.
By Nick Collins, Science Correspondent
7:00AM BST 04 Jun 2013
Reading and sending emails prompts telltale signs of stress including elevated blood pressure, heart rate and levels of the hormone cortisol, a study found.
Researchers who followed a group of 30 government employees found that 83 per cent became more stressed while using email, rising to 92 per cent when speaking on the phone and using email at the same time.
Although receiving a single message was no more stressful than answering one phone call or talking to someone face-to-face, emails had a stronger effect overall because people received so many each day.
Researchers believe that emails can add to stress levels. Photo: ALAMY
Read the full article here.
Tags: email, Empty Inbox, Getting Things Done, GTD, Mastering Workflow, organization, Productivity, trusted system
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