An email vacation cuts stress and boosts productivity

Posted on Mon, 11 Jun 12

Taking an email vacation can decrease stress and increase focus and productivity according to a new study from the University of California.

To see what effect limiting email access had on stress, concentration and productivity office workers were restricted from email for 5 days, attached to heart rate monitors and had their software activity examined. The effects of no email were compared to a group who had regular access.   

People with constant email access had much higher heart rates compared to those with no access, which indicates a high level of constant stress.  Access to email also resulted in subjects changing screens twice as often suggesting poor concentration and focus.

Professor Gloria Mark co-author of the study commented that “we found that when you remove email from workers’ lives, they multitask less and experience less stress.”

Try limiting your email and message services such as facebook to a designated time, rather than constantly checking your inbox, it may benefit your health by reducing stress and boosting your concentration and productivity. 

Reference:

1. Email ‘vacations’ decrease stress, increase concentration. May 3, 2012. Accessed at: http://health.universityofcalifornia.edu