One of the books I'm currently reading is Never Check E-mail in the Morning by Julie Morgenstern. Here's what jumped out at me on page 97-98:
The most dramatic, effective way to boost your productivity is to completely avoid e-mail for the first hour of the day. Instead, devote that first hour every day to your most critical task. When you devote your first hour to concentrated work—a dash–the day starts with you in charge of it rather than the other way around. It's a bold statement to the world (and yourself) that you can take control, pull away from the frenetic pace, and create the time for quiet work when you need it…When I say NO E-MAIL, I mean it—don't even peek at what's in there until your hour is up.
Why not?
Think about it: E-mail is really nothing but a bunch of interruptions and distractions that appear in your in box without an invitation. Even checking your e-mail for a minute is a surefire way to open up all the different drawers of your brain and immediately distract your mind with a zillion other issues. Once that happens, prolonged concentration on anything, critical or not, is nearly impossible.
I can see how this would be the case. I open my email and I'm off and running…to various and sundry places and many times, nowhere in particular.
Typically when I sit down for my work time, I open my email first. But this week, I've decided to make Julie's suggestion my deliberate approach. I'm going to try my most important task instead—writing—for the first hour. Only after that will I open email.
I confess, I like to clean out my inbox first thing because otherwise I feel like I'm trying to get something done among clutter and disorder. It's the same reason why I clean up the kitchen before I start making a meal, clean off my desk before I start working or make the bed before I crawl in to go to sleep. I like starting with a clean, organized slate.
But I'm open to new things, so we'll see if it makes me feel empowered like she says. 
Related: When I do get to my inbox, there are some standard rules I try to follow to keep my inbox empty. I outlined them in How to Keep Your Inbox Empty. You also might be interested in all my email tips.
What about you? Where does tackling your inbox fall in your daily routine? Got any tricks to share?
P.S. I posted a follow-up to this experiment here.
Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are referral links.
Excellent. I think I'll attempt this . . . tomorrow. Or, maybe right now? How about, "no email until I get all orders out?!" Yep. That'll work!
Oh, and no Facebook! HA!
Oh yeah, so true! Email is definitely not the only culprit.
I don't know if I could do it – I might go into withdrawal.
Oh I am so bad at waking up, grabbing my iPhone in bed, and checking facebook, my email, and weather before I even get out of bed!! I have been thinking this is not good, cause I can get stuck on something and 30 minutes later…..
I think I need to check the out and move the iPhone some where else!
Thanks for your post!
I'm like you, I have to cook in a clean kitchen, work on a clean desk, get into a made bed. I think if I tried to focus on writing before checking email it would be like trying to write while a kid keeps saying "mom?….mom?…" I'd rather take care of the need and then get to work. Now, that doesn't mean I answer any of the email. I don't. I get rid of junk, delete what I am done with, and put the rest in a to do folder, whether it's reading an article later or responding to someone. Somehow that helps my mind feel more settled and ready to focus.
So I guess I compromise. I like to do a quick run-through just to check in and then I get to work.
But I do aree with setting tight boundaries on e-mail and social media during times when I'm trying to be productive.
My problem is I need to find more than 5 minutes to get anything done.
Oops, I hit enter too soon.
I'm having the hardest time getting much done. My 2 yr old has decided not to take naps and even though he still goes down it's hard to concentrate with all his racket and playing during "nap time". 
Right now I'm working in tiny 5 minute spurts. Not very good for productivity.
Oh, been there! I think moms of toddlers should get a free pass to do whatever they want whenever they want. With lots of dessert on top.
I'm often tempted to check e-mail in the morning before leaving home to head to work but I leave it. If I look … I will undoubtedly miss out on getting my early bird parking space! And then once I do get here I force myself to prioritize my other tasks and get my (paid) work done first. Then I get to open e-mail, FB, blogs, as a reward for having completed my work. They do stay open, in the background, from that point on (tempting me) but I try to break from all those things when I have (paid) work to do.
I say (paid) work because although I consider writing my real work … I currently need a paycheck and work a Monday – Friday 8-5 desk job.
Using it as a reward is a good idea for sure. Thanks, Beth!
I think that idea is a winnner…though I often wake up, read but don't reply…but I know I start writing replies in my mind…so probably a good idea to avoid it altogether…
Oh yes, I write replies in my head too and then I'm totally checked out from the rest of my life.
Opening email (and subsequently refreshing it) is my avoidance tactic to actually getting work done. It's a time suck and I hate it! I convince myself that someone will email me and need me RIGHT NOW, but that is never the case. Even worse is that one of my email accounts receives all of my Facebook notifications so I'm completely addicted to that one. I'm going to practice this beginning tomorrow and I can almost bet that my life will feel much more relaxed and accomplished. (although one of those refreshes sent me to this post so hmm…
) Thanks, Amy!!
Oh yes, avoidance tactic for me too! Guilty.
haha, TOTALLY. tired of my current task? let's see what other "important" things need my attention over at my inbox! best way to procrastinate while pretending to be productive.
Such a great idea. Like you, I like to start each project with my "work space" clean. Answering emails has always been my way to clean-up before getting into writing. But unlike washing the dishes or making my bed, emails can send my mind whirling in a dozen directions and *keep* me from actually getting anything written.
Setting and sticking with techy boundaries is my habit challenge for March. I am going try adding this too. Thanks Amy for yet another inspiring post!
yeah, that's a really good idea!! Usually the very first thing I do when I get out of bed is check my emails and then it's incredibly difficult to stay on track because I end up on some other project or some other page I wasn't planning on being on. Or there's an email there I want to check but know I shouldn't because it'll take me somewhere else I have no time for. Then I think about it all day until I check it. Its annoying.
Thanks for sharing. I'm gonna try this too. I wonder If I should wait until the end of the day to check my emails so I can plan to do whatever prompts me to do something in my inbox for the next day. A very good idea.
I'm smiling this as I read. I can totally relate.
I can't believe the timing of this. Normally I start my morning my reading my email, but today I actually did some yard work before I ever sat in front of the computer. It actually felt good and helped me to decide to do just what you are recommending! Thank you for all the helpful info that you provide.
Thanks, Brenda. Another thing I noticed this morning is that I was a lot more thoughtful about what I would tackle today instead of just diving right into email and not really thinking about it first.
I can see how this could be helpful. But I run a business as well as a blog. So if I have an order sitting in my inbox, I feel the need to get to it first and then work on other stuff. But…it might actually help. I will start practicing this tomorrow morning and not check any email until the hour is up. I may not be working, but enjoying the morning with my daughter and focusing on the house rather than my email box.
thanks for the tip. Let us know how it goes for you! 
It sounds good in theory but I'm not sure my clients would love it. When they have web issues; waiting a full day to hear from me could potentially cost me that client relationship. What I have done lately though is really clean mine out. Email updates I never get to? Unsubscribed from all of them. Blogs I get posts from that I don't really identify with…they're gone too. That's taken email from 300 to 200 a day and not that this number is really manageable but it feels a bit better!
I hear what you're saying because I want to make sure I stay on top of any problems any of my customers (for my book) have. But Julie wasn't suggesting check email only once a day, just waiting and getting your most important task done first. Now, if your most important task is checking email, well, I guess that's a funny dilemma.
That's a great idea! I often find myself getting sucked in and distracted by emails!
I feel like this was written just for me. Like it could've been sent to my email box, hee hee. I'll try it, though. Now, I'm off to check out your email tips
Ugh! It's always so hard to read advice you know you should take.
Now, if only my phone wasn't hooked directly to my email. …and my homepage wasn't set to iGoogle. And I didn't have three different email accounts I check regularly. I agree with the author that the very best thing you can do is to ignore the email and get to the good stuff first thing in the morning. I can't tell you how great it feels to knock out some lesson planning, grade some papers, or have all of my teaching materials prepped and ready. …looks like I need to remind myself of that feeling next time I feel pulled into the email routine.
Thanks for sharing this great read!
I keep considering this periodically. I have felt that I might need to make this change to my routine, and I'll let this be what pushes me over the edge to make it. at least try it like you are =)
Thank you, Amy. What a simple idea. I am going to try Julie idea this week.
Lately I feel like my email is a curse. First thing most days I'm on by 7:30am cleaning it out then reading it only to get more and more emails popping in. I'd do anything to have an empty inbox. I don't even want to tell you how many are in there to get back to later but never do because more keep coming. Then by 10 or 11 I'm done and ready for the rest of my day which typically ends by 5:30 for an early dinner with my hubby.
However today I got up, fed my dogs and let them out while I ate breakfast and made a conscious effort to leave the computer off. I got my workout in and was done early. And finished what I needed to for the day. It was amazing. While dinner was on the stove I went through my email. I couldn't believe how much I got done. Doubtful though that will remain my routine since I have too much work online. Sad but true. It's a viscious circle!
Wow, sounds great!
A whole book on "never check email in the morning". Wow.
{but, still. I like the advice!}
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I had recently read a similar idea…maybe from Michael Hyatt. AND…I instituted it. The idea was to get some important things done FOR ME with my best energies before hitting the e-mail/Facebook suck.. Okay…I could be better (it does call my name)…but it does give me an immediate focus and I am farther ahead than before. Yay! I like the 1 hour idea. Maybe I'll set an alarm. Really it's amazing what a person can do in just fifteen minutes, let alone an hour!
oooohhh! That is going to be a hard one..I always think for sure I'm going to miss out on a really important email.. you know like from the president or something! It's really ridiculous!
But when I am writing I try to treat it like it's one of my kids and say "not right now honey you'll just have to wait"..then I can get a little accomplished..of course until the whining starts in my head and I give in and have to check! Help Amy! LOL
This is a fantastic idea! I can definitely apply it to my life… kind of. =] As a blog designer, one of my priorities is getting to my client's e-mail when they need me. On the other hand, personal and blog e-mail is a huge time-sink for me. That's why I have one account for my business, and my personal account for my blog and personal correspondences.
I think I'm going to try this with my personal e-mail account. My business e-mail is just too important and must be dealt with immediately (another thing I do is deal with e-mail immediately. It might take some time right now, but it keeps work from getting backed up)
I have been doing this for a few months now and it works like a dream, Amy. Thanks for sharing.
Such a simple solution. I tried this yesterday, and kept my mind focused on an article I was writing – as well as household work that took priority. It was hard not to check it, but it's true about how my mind starts running in all different directions when I check messages – thus affecting productivity (a principle I first learned from David Allen's GTD philosophy).
This could become my new good habit to work on (so many bad ones still hanging around) Thank you, Amy!
It has been hard for me too! But overall, good.
I think she's right on. Yesterday I checked my emails first thing and spent an hour or so responding, being directed to other places, etc… I didn't get to write anything which is what I wanted to do.
Thanks, Amy.