使自己摆脱强制性电子邮件检查并获得积极奖励

Photo by Esparta

图片来自Esparta

Do you check your email more often than you need to? Do you experience withdrawal symptoms when if you haven’t checked your email in a while? Compulsive email checking is an unhealthy habit that keeps you from doing more important things. Use positive reward to establish a healthier relationship to your inbox.

您是否经常检查电子邮件？ 如果您有一段时间没有检查电子邮件，您是否会遇到退出症状？ 强迫性电子邮件检查是一种不健康的习惯，会使您无法做更重要的事情。 使用正面奖励与您的收件箱建立更健康的关系。

电子邮件并不总是有效的 (Email is not always productive)

There are three major reasons why email is not always productive.

电子邮件并非总是高效的三个主要原因。

1. Email takes time away from other things: It may be easy to justify compulsive email checking because it feels like you are getting something done. After all, reading through messages, replying to some, and emptying out your inbox should be a good thing. But it’s only productive when it’s done intentionally — not during time that’s reversed for other, more important tasks.

1.电子邮件使时间花费在其他事情上：证明强制性电子邮件检查可能很容易，因为感觉就像您正在做某事。 毕竟，通读邮件，回复邮件以及清空收件箱应该是一件好事。 但是，只有在有意完成的情况下，它才会富有成效，而在其他更重要的任务被颠倒的时间内却不会。

2. Email can be no different from chit-chat: Using email to communicate with friends, colleagues, or acquaintances can be no different from chit-chat at the lunchroom. If the conversation is not that important and extends beyond what’s a reasonable break time, it distracts you from your work.

2.电子邮件与闲聊无异：使用电子邮件与朋友，同事或熟人进行交流与午餐室的闲聊无异。 如果对话不是那么重要，并且超出了合理的休息时间，它会使您分心。

3. Email is usually about other people: Email encourages you to cater to other people’s needs, requests, and questions — instead of your own. Email does have a time and place in your day, but it needs to have a designated time and place. Not just any time you feel like checking.

3.电子邮件通常与其他人有关：电子邮件鼓励您满足他人的需求，请求和问题-而不是您自己的。 电子邮件确实有一天中的时间和地点，但是需要有一个指定的时间和地点。 不仅仅是您想检查的任何时候。

诊断您的问题 (Diagnose Your Problem)

People do compulsive things for all sorts of reasons. The most common reason is to avoid experiencing something particularly unpleasant. If you’re checking email ten times a day without good reason, you’re probably trying to avoid someone or some thing.

人们出于各种原因从事强迫性活动。 最常见的原因是要避免遇到特别不愉快的事情。 如果您无缘无故地每天检查电子邮件十次，则可能是在避免某人或某事。

Compulsive email checking could be your way of evading:

强制性电子邮件检查可能是您逃避的方式：

• A looming deadline
  迫在眉睫的最后期限
• Writer’s block
  作家街区
• Uncertainty about what to do next
  下一步的不确定性
• Boredom
  无聊
• Fixing an important problem that’s preventing you from doing work
  解决一个重要问题，使您无法工作
• Preparing for a planned engagement
  为计划中的参与做准备
• Actually working on something
  实际上在做某事

Explore the potential reasons you check your email more often than needed to diagnose your problem.

探索您经常检查电子邮件而不是诊断问题所需的潜在原因。

承认自己的强迫性习惯 (Acknowledge Your Compulsive Habit)

The next step in changing your compulsive email habit is tracking it. Keep a tally of how many times you open your inbox. Notice how much time you spend on average during each visit.

改变强迫性电子邮件习惯的下一步就是跟踪它。 记录您打开收件箱的次数。 注意每次访问期间您平均花费多少时间。

Keep a positive attitude in the process. Don’t judge yourself as unproductive, unfocused, or a failure when you identify weaknesses or mistakes. Self-punishment won’t help you make positive changes. Simply recognize your patterns and explore what the motivations may be, as covered above.

在此过程中要保持积极的态度。 当您发现弱点或错误时，不要将自己判断为无能为力，专心或失败。 自我惩罚不会帮助您做出积极的改变。 只需了解您的模式并探索动机，如上所述。

Continue acknowledging your compulsive email habit until you no longer can stand it — until you no longer can standing doing nothing about it. Because the only way to address the compulsive behavior is by:

继续承认自己的强迫性电子邮件习惯，直到您无法忍受为止-直到您不再能够对此无所事事。 因为解决强迫行为的唯一方法是：

• 1. Accepting that it exists

• 1.接受它的存在

• 2. Being self-honest enough to understand why

• 2.诚实自负，足以理解为什么

• 3. Having compelling enough reason(s) to do something about it

• 3.有足够的理由对此做某事

Once you’re truly motivated to make a change, it’s relatively easy to start with baby steps.

一旦真正有动力做出改变，从婴儿步开始就相对容易了。

从婴儿的步骤和积极的奖励开始 (Start with Baby Steps and Positive Reward)

Photo by Ruthieki

摄影： Ruthieki

Positive reward helps you associate your desired behavior with good feelings and/or positive feedback. Follow the seven steps below to make visiting your email inbox a healthier, more productive practice.

积极奖励可帮助您将所需的行为与良好的感觉和/或积极的反馈联系起来。 请按照以下七个步骤操作，使访问您的电子邮件收件箱更健康，更高效。

Step 1: Create an email accountability document

步骤1：建立电子邮件问责制文件

Create a document that you will refer to for your email accountability. Make sure it’s visual and dynamic enough to work with. You’ll be adding content to this document in the following steps, but customize it based on your preferences.

创建一个文档，您将参考该文档以确保您的电子邮件负责。 确保它具有足够的视觉效果和动态效果。 您将按照以下步骤将内容添加到此文档中，但要根据自己的喜好对其进行自定义。

Step 2: State your desired behavior change (or end goal)

步骤2：陈述您想要的行为改变(或最终目标)

On the top of the document, write out how (often) you ultimately want to check your email.

在文档的顶部，写出您最终(通常)想查看电子邮件的方式。

This could be as general as “I don’t want to check my email as often,” or as specific as “I only want to check my email at 10am and 3pm each weekday and at 4pm during weekends.”

可能是“我不想经常检查我的电子邮件”，也可能是“我只想在每个工作日的上午10点和下午3点以及周末的下午4点检查我的电子邮件”。

Be extra specific on your end goal and if possible provide your reasons for selecting it.

请特别注意您的最终目标，并在可能的情况下提供选择目标的原因。

Step 3: Admit your weaknesses

步骤3：承认自己的弱点

Below your statement, list out the reasons why you haven’t already reached that desired goal in their respective rows.

在您的陈述下方，在各自的行中列出尚未达到理想目标的原因。

Again, be specific, and don’t use unnecessarily harsh language, such as, “I’m bad at time management,” or “I just can’t control myself.”

再说一次，要具体，不要使用不必要的苛刻语言，例如“我在时间管理上很糟糕”或“我无法控制自己”。

Use objective language that keeps you focused on what’s happening and why. More functional statements are:

使用客观的语言，让您专注于正在发生的事情和原因。 更实用的语句是：

• “I struggle managing my time when I have important projects that I don’t feel ready to finish.”
  “当我有无法完成的重要项目时，我很难管理自己的时间。”
• “I have difficulty resisting the urge to check my email, even when I know I don’t need to, because I’d rather not have a few moments of silence to think about what I should really be doing.”
  “即使我知道我不需要，也很难抵制检查电子邮件的冲动，因为我宁愿没有沉默地思考我应该做什么。”

Try to list out at least five of your weaknesses.

尝试列出至少五个缺点。

Let’s say that your goal is to check your inbox once in the morning and once in the late afternoon. Currently, you check it about once every twenty minutes while on the computer.

假设您的目标是每天早上检查一次收件箱，下午一次检查收件箱。 当前，您在计算机上大约每二十分钟检查一次。

Here are five potential weaknesses that get in your way:

以下是您遇到的五个潜在弱点：

• You’re not excited about doing your other computer-related tasks.
  您对执行其他与计算机有关的任务并不感到兴奋。
• You get bored while commuting and waiting around in public, don’t want to interact with the people around you, and find that checking mail on your iPhone passes the time.
  您在通勤和在公共场所等车时感到无聊，不想与周围的人互动，并且发现在iPhone上检查邮件会浪费时间。
• You worry about hanging email questions or conversations and want to know what the next move is — as soon as Mr. Smith gets back to you.
  您担心挂起电子邮件问题或对话，并想知道下一步是什么-史密斯先生一回覆您。
• You want to please Mr. Smith by always responding to him promptly, even though he doesn’t write out your paycheck and isn’t particularly close to you.
  您想让史密斯先生总是对他Swift做出回应，即使他没有写出您的薪水并且与您之间的亲密关系也并不令人满意。
• You’re hoping to receive an email alert that someone will spark a conversation with you on your Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn as validation that you’re important enough to talk to.
  您希望收到一封电子邮件警报，通知某人将在您的Facebook，Twitter或LinkedIn上发起与您的对话，以确认您具有足够重要的谈话能力。

It may not be fun exploring your weaknesses when it comes to checking email, but it will helpful reprogram your habits for the better.

在检查电子邮件方面发现自己的弱点可能并不有趣，但这将有助于您重新设定习惯，以改善生活习惯。

Step 4: Identify your challenges based on your weaknesses

步骤4：根据自己的弱点确定挑战

Now go through each weakness on your list and add an extra column to the right. Identify the situations (real or imagined) during which you demonstrate those weaknesses.

现在，遍历列表中的每个弱点，并在右侧添加一个额外的列。 确定您证明这些弱点的情况(真实或想象中的情况)。

Let’s say you have “I struggle managing my time when I have important projects that I don’t feel ready to finish” in the left column.

假设您在左侧栏中有“当我有一些尚未完成的重要项目时，我很难管理自己的时间”。

Then in the right column, describe the situation that’s problematic. It would be something like, “Having an important project to work on,” or “Having an important project to work on that I don’t feel ready to finish,” or even “Feeling uncertain about an important project.”

然后在右栏中描述有问题的情况。 就像是“有一个重要的项目要进行”，“有一个重要的项目要进行而我还没准备好完成”，甚至“对一个重要的项目感到不确定”。

Once you’re aware of the challenging situations, you’ll be better prepared to face them.

一旦意识到了挑战性的形势，您将为面对这些挑战做好准备。

Step 5: Devise a positive reward checklist

步骤5：设计正向奖励清单

When you set up your columns describing your weaknesses and how they arise, add a third column to the right.

当您设置描述您的弱点及其产生方式的列时，请在右侧添加第三列。

Use this column to list action steps you can take to overcome the problematic situations that trigger the weaknesses that keep you from checking your email on your terms, at your desired frequency.

使用此列列出可以采取的行动步骤，以克服那些会触发弱点的问题情况，这些弱点使您无法按期望的频率按条款查看电子邮件。

Then add a fourth column, where you will have the space to check off instances when you accomplish one of the actions from the third column.

然后添加第四列，当您完成第三列中的一项操作时，将有空间检查实例。

Here’s one way you could format your document:

这是格式化文档的一种方法：

You’ll notice there’s only one check box for each action step. Throughout your day, you might complete that step several times, so add extra check box columns as necessary.

您会注意到，每个操作步骤只有一个复选框。 在一天当中，您可能会多次完成该步骤，因此，请根据需要添加额外的复选框列。

Step 6: Reward yourself for staying on task

第6步：奖励自己坚持执行任务

Once you have your document set up, print out a copy or keep it open on your desktop. From now on, you’ll refer to this document to retrain how you visit your inbox.

设置好文档后，请打印出副本或在桌面上保持打开状态。 从现在开始，您将参考本文档来重新培训如何访问收件箱。

Each time you check off a box in the far right column, you can check your email — do so knowing that you earned it. The positive feelings associated with checking your email after you accomplish something meaningful will inspire you to look at your inbox in different ways.

每次您选中最右边一列中的一个框时，您都可以查看您的电子邮件-知道自己已收到了该电子邮件。 完成有意义的事情后，与检查电子邮件相关的积极感受会激发您以不同方式查看收件箱。

Here’s an example. Let’s draw again from the weakness: “I struggle managing my time when I have important projects that I don’t feel ready to finish.” Let’s say one of the challenges associated with that weakness is: “Having an important project to work on.” Now, here are three potential action steps that help you overcome and/or work toward your goal:

这是一个例子。 让我们再次从弱点中得出：“当我有一些我不准备完成的重要项目时，我很难管理自己的时间。” 可以说，与此弱点相关的挑战之一是：“需要开展一项重要的项目。” 现在，这是三个潜在的行动步骤，可帮助您克服和/或朝着目标努力：

• 1. Printing out an article/resource/document that reminds you why your project is so important and/or why you’re capable of successfully completing it.

• 1.打印出一篇文章/资源/文档，以提醒您为什么您的项目如此重要和/或为什么您能够成功完成它。

• 2. Asking a friend or colleague for help or perspective when you feel stuck.

• 2.遇到困难时，请朋友或同事提供帮助或看法。

• 3. Writing out a schedule or to-do list for your project.

• 3.编写项目的时间表或任务清单。

• 4. Reviewing and/or revising your schedule or to-do list for your project.

• 4.查看和/或修改项目的进度表或任务清单。

• 5. Completing an item on your schedule or to-do list for your project.

• 5.在项目的进度表或任务清单上完成一个项目。

Each time you complete one of these steps, check off a box and know that you can check your email having earned it. Of course, if you don’t feel the urge to check your email, you can get straight to the next task. As you can see, each of these steps started out as a way to avoid checking your email compulsively, and end up serving your productivity goals.

每次您完成这些步骤之一时，请选中一个框，然后知道您可以检查已收到的电子邮件。 当然，如果您不希望查看电子邮件，可以直接进行下一个任务。 如您所见，这些步骤中的每个步骤都是为了避免强制检查电子邮件而最终实现您的生产力目标。

You don’t have to be perfect; it’s okay if you check your inbox without having checked off a box first. But at least be mindful of what you do. And pay attention to how different it feels to check your inbox having earned it, versus having had no real reason to do so (except for maybe succumbing to a problematic situation which triggers the compulsive habit).

您不必是完美的。 如果您没有先选中复选框就可以检查收件箱，那就可以了。 但是至少要注意您的工作。 并且要注意检查收件箱与没有理由(除了可能屈服于引发强迫性习惯的麻烦情况)相比有何不同。

Step 7: Keep using the checklist until you notice the changes

步骤7：继续使用清单，直到注意到更改为止

When you use your checklist enough to feel confident you have your email situation under control, you’ll notice that you’re better at:

当您使用核对清单足以使您确信自己的电子邮件状况得到控制时，您会发现自己在以下方面更胜一筹：

• Spotting boredom
  发现无聊
• Identifying problems with work that may be difficult to admit to
  确定工作中可能难以接受的问题
• Noticing when you’re overloaded
  超载时注意

• Acknowledging negative feelings about your work, which you need to express and address

  承认对工作的负面感受，需要表达和解决

• Becoming aware of creative or mental blocks
  意识到创造性或智力障碍

• Giving yourself and your eyes a computer break when needed

  在需要时让您自己和您的眼睛电脑休息

• Staying on task and feeling good about getting things done
  专注于工作并为完成事情感到高兴

Each of these helps you resolve the issues that when unaddressed, lead to various compulsive behaviors.

所有这些都可以帮助您解决未解决的问题，这些问题会导致各种强迫行为。

使检查电子邮件特别 (Make Checking Email Special)

When email has become your compulsive habit, it’s no longer a productive tool. Make checking email special so that it becomes productive again.

当电子邮件成为您的强迫性习惯时，它不再是一种有效的工具。 使检查电子邮件变得特别，使它再次变得高效。

In addition to the checklist exercise above, you can explore other techniques for using positive reward. You can block out regular times for inbox cleaning after you’ve put in solid hours of work, and set up that time to be enjoyable, with a snack nearby and some feel-good music in the background. You can also apply the same principles for work — unplug from internet and/or hide your mail client and use a comfortable work environment to compensate.

除了上面的清单练习之外，您还可以探索其他使用正向奖励的技术。 辛勤工作之后，您可以安排定期清理收件箱，并安排时间使它愉快，附近有小吃，背景音乐听起来不错。 您还可以将相同的工作原理应用于工作-从Internet上拔下电源和/或隐藏邮件客户端，并使用舒适的工作环境进行补偿。

Reward yourself for good work habits, and email won’t have to take over your work life.

奖励自己养成良好的工作习惯，而电子邮件将不必接管您的工作生活。

翻译自: https://www.howtogeek.com/54120/wean-yourself-from-compulsive-email-checking-with-positive-reward/