We’re eternally searching for ways to be more productive. One of the biggest pitfalls of productivity is that we often do tasks that keep us busy but don’t necessarily accomplish the actions we need to get done each day.
A great example of that is sending emails. We feel like we’re chipping away at our to-do list but did that email really accomplish anything? Is sending a request into the abyss and waiting for a response really that productive? Especially when it just ends in more questions and a drawn out conversation? Or even worse, it gets lost in the shuffle and never read?
The good news is there is a super simple step you can take to avoid this mess: don’t send that email. Instead, step away from the computer and make a face-to-face request. Why? The Harvard Business Review found that a face-to-face request is 34 times more successful than an email. Thirty four times! Can you even imagine how much more productive that is?
As the study found, in-person communication is just more effective than text-based. You can apply this to the workplace by walking over to a coworker or boss to ask a question instead of sending an email. Or setting up a meeting to discuss a bigger request instead of relying on typed words to do the dirty work. You’re more likely to get what you want when you’re sitting face-to-face.
Read more at the Harvard Business Review.
Image via Chase Elliott Clark/Flickr.
Spectrum Brands Careers Blog 
May 21, 2019
Career Advice