Management Tip of the Day: Break the Cycle of Responsiveness

Are you having trouble viewing this email? If so, click here to see it in a web browser. HOME   |   TIPS   |   BLOGS   |   THE MAGAZINE   |   BOOKS   |   STORE RSS   |   Mobile OCTOBER 10, 2012 Break the Cycle of Responsiveness Once you answer an email at midnight, or take a call on your vacation, you've set the expectation that you're always "on." Your team will keep asking things of you, and you'll likely continue to accommodate them. That is, until you break the cycle. Here's how: Join forces. Talk to those with whom you interact most frequently and agree on times when you'll all be offline and unavailable. Maybe it's an evening off, an email blackout over the weekend, or uninterrupted work times during the day. Experience the joy of turning off. Pay attention to what it feels like to be offline. It may be hard at first but you'll enjoy the benefits of relaxation and increased focus soon enough. Talk about it. Regularly ask your team how it's going: Do you need to make adjustments to the offline schedule or agreements? Today's Management Tip was adapted from "Are You Sleeping with Your Smartphone?" by Leslie A. Perlow. Read the full post and join the discussion » Share Today's Tip: FEATURED PRODUCT Information Wants to Be Shared Ebook Now Available Does information want to be free? Information is much more complicated than that. What information really wants — what makes it more valuable, useful, and immediate, Joshua Gans argues — is to be shared. In this latest HBR single, Gans shows how sharing enhances most information's value. He also shows how the business models of traditional media companies, gatekeepers who have relied on scarcity and control, have collapsed in the face of new technologies. ADVERTISEMENT Follow the Tip: PREVIOUS TIPS Imprecision Can Aid Decision-Making Become a More Valuable Employee Starting a Business? Skip the Plan Make Sure You're Solving the Right Problem Ask Your Critic to Join Your Team Improve Your Presentation in Real Time Know the Culture Before You Accept the Job Debunk the Myths Holding Your Company Back Capture Your Audience Right Away Bring Out Quieter Voices on Your Team All Previous Tips BEST SELLERS HBR's 10 Must Reads: The Essentials HBR's Must Reads Library Set Guide to Persuasive Presentations Guide to Better Business Writing Guide to Getting the Right Work Done Introducing Mobile ManageMentor Powered by the proven content of Harvard ManageMentor™ iTunes >> Android >> UNSUBSCRIBE   |   UPDATE YOUR PROFILE   |   MORE EMAIL NEWSLETTERS   |   PRIVACY POLICY Was this email forwarded to you? If so, sign up to start receiving your own copy. ABOUT THIS MAILING LIST You have received this message because you subscribed to the "Management Tip of the Day" email newsletter from Harvard Business Review. If at any point you wish to remove yourself from this list, change your email address, or sign up for other email newsletters and alerts, please visit the Harvard Business Review Email Newsletter Preference Center. OPT OUT If you do not wish to receive any email messages from Harvard Business Review, click here. ADVERTISE WITH HBR This enewsletter is read by thousands of decision makers every day. Learn more about connecting your brand with this audience. Copyright © 2012 Harvard Business School Publishing, an affiliate of Harvard Business School. All rights reserved. Harvard Business Publishing | 60 Harvard Way | Boston, MA 02163 Customer Service: 800-545-7685 (+1-617-783-7600 outside the U.S. and Canada)