In order to be most productive, you need blocks of uninterrupted time to focus on vital tasks that add the most value to your business. Excessive in-box viewing wastes time and adds to e-mail overload. One time-management software firm estimates the average office worker checks his in box 50 times a day; I suggest five. Even if you work a job that demands that you stay on top of your e-mails, that five viewings allow you to see your e-mail about every 90 minutes. (Hint: Wait an hour and a half after getting to the office before you open your in box.) Schedule the specific times during the day that you will check your in box, and stick to it.
![](http://images.csmonitor.com/csmarchives/2011/03/check5.jpg?alias=standard_900x600nc)
Illustration by Jake Turcotte / The Christian Science Monitor
The average office worker checks his mail 50 times a day, according to one estimate. You can cure e-mail overload by checking it only five times daily.