Connected all the time but only the way you want

I have a handful of people in my life who don't like to e-mail, text or instant message back.  I'm also guilty of this at times but not constantly and certainly not when it's important.  When I send an e-mail or instant message that really should be addressed, it baffles me why it isn't.

Sometimes these e-mails and IMs are urgent but yet they go unanswered leaving issues unaddressed.  This leads to issues when it comes to working, scheduling and other pressing matters that shouldn't go ignored.

This whole concept made me start thinking about how many different ways we have to communicate with one another.  I do believe we're reaching that threshold where there are too many ways to talk and less ways to get back to one another.

Have you ever struggled trying to figure out how to send a message to someone who you could contact multiple ways?  Should you e-mail them, text them, Facebook message the, tweet them or contact them in another way?  We connect with people in so many ways now, each has a preferred method of contact.

For me, it's e-mail.

I'll ignore calls, texts and other forms of contact if I'm really in the groove of working on something.  I'll generally always answer an important e-mail after I receive it.  If it's not as important, it can wait and I mark it to respond later.

Texts are too short, calls end up taking more time than necessary, and not everyone uses the same instant messaging service.  E-mail can get to the point, get to the inbox and just about everyone uses e-mail in one form or the other.

So, why can't others simply respond to them?

Perhaps, I need to take my own contemplation on the subject to heart.  While e-mail may be my preferred method of contact, it won't be for others and maybe I need to stop stressing about it and instead open my mind to using contact methods best suited for the person I'm trying to get in touch with.

What's the point of productivity anyway?

I've been trying to up my productivity levels the last month, and I've found that like most things in life it's much easier said than done.  I've read some blogs, some articles and watched some videos on how others manage productivity in their everyday lives and none of this has seem to worked for me personally.  I find myself limited by the concept of productivity in a way.  So, the more I focus on trying to be productive, the less I actually am during a day.

I make a to do list every day.  It's just a basic sticky note in Windows 7.  I list what I have to do during the day, even down to the most mundane tasks.  The thrill that comes with erasing each item makes me feel good, but I think that's not actually helping me productive.  Most of the tasks I do day-to-day are just things that should be intertwined already within my day that I shouldn't need a list to complete.

While my productivity in the last month has increased, especially when it comes to my writing, I feel I could still be managing my time better.  I'm also beginning to wonder if we sabotage ourselves by trying to be focus on being productive.  What would happen if I just lived?  If I just did.  If instead of making a list, I just completed tasks.  Instead of tracking my progress, I just walked away once done.  Would that make me more productive?  Would that give me more time to do this and that?

There are so many things I want to do during my day that I don't get to do because I feel I'm limited by what I "have" to do.  It can be work, it could be writing, it could be something around the apartment, but I limit myself by what I think needs to be done instead of taking advantage of what could help me get more done.  What would waking up every day, no matter what is going on that day, at the same time for one week?  How much more time would that give me to be productive?

One of my favorite quotes is from H. Jackson Brown: "Don't say you don't have enough time.  You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo Da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson and Albert Einstein."

I think my next step is to set a schedule of being awake from 6 AM every morning to 10 PM every night just to see what I can accomplish.  It will take some time to get used to, and it may be hard at first, but what will the extra hours in my day lead to?  Even if it's the addition of a walk, a trip to the gym or just more creative writing rather than work, it can help make me more use of my time during my days.

Now, only time will tell.