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Word of Mouth

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How often do you check your e-mail?

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Published: July 28, 2010
  • I check my e-mail frequently—actually, my wife would tell you obsessively—maybe about every 5 to 10 minutes. I check it on my laptop, my desktop computer and my iPhone. In fact, the only time I don’t check my email is on Jewish Sabbaths—sundown Friday to sundown Saturday—and on other Jewish holidays because both prohibit turning on electricity, among other things. I check my e-mail so frequently because I am in constant correspondence with colleagues all over the country and the world.

    Aaron Hughes
    Associate Director
    Institute of Jewish Thought and Heritage

  • I check my e-mail far too often. I should batch them and check them periodically—say, twice a day. I know this because I took a Human Resources time management class that suggested that batching e-mails was wise. Yet, I still find myself checking e-mail at least every 20 minutes. On the bright side, I rarely check my e-mail on weekends, unless I’m expecting something.

    Roma Mandzyk
    Communications Officer
    College of Arts and Sciences

  • I set my e-mail program to check for messages every minute, and so I am able to attend to them almost as soon as they come in. I treat e-mails like phone messages and try to answer them almost right away in the order they are received, unless there is a particular e-mail that is urgent, and in that case it gets immediate attention. I prefer to answer e-mails quickly because I don’t like to keep anyone waiting for an answer! This also helps me resolve issues expeditiously and prevents loose ends at the end of a work day. I use either a laptop or my iPhone to keep up with messages and check my e-mail several times a day outside of the office.

    Radhika Suresh
    Assistant Dean for Enrollment Management
    Graduate School of Education

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