As a leader, separate your inbox and your outbox forever.

Just do it and leave me to look for my beautiful lemon tree on the terrace :) But, of course, I know I have to convince you first, so let me explain the idea I got, and then let’s hear your excuses.

What happens with a typical 21st-century leader, just 3-4 minutes after waking up? You check your email. With that, the ball is already on the other side, right? So, your current work-self behaves like your 17-year-old self when you were more than happy to have already answered your 12 characters via text message, so the ball is on the other side, and now it's their decision where to continue your potential relationship.

Wise, right? Now that you are smiling, let me freeze you for a sec.

Checking your emails is the exact same behavior. Directing your workday based on software that, really—who knows why? (RWKW? from now on :) ) includes your inbox and outbox in one setting means that your thinking, your decision-making, your entire approach as a leader is based on responding to others’ needs.

OK, I hear you, but that's why we are here as servant leaders—our task is to serve others. But, that's simply not true as it stands.

Imagine your life when you have an outbox and inbox, and you cannot check your inbox until your outbox's work is finished.

Hmm.

Wake up again, you cannot check anything, right? As your outbox is empty.

So you brew your coffee, check on your kids, and then your lemon tree, or vice versa ;) and when you start your workday, you start doing your job.

Which is squeezing out from your brain what your team/department/company should do from now on. You sit down next to your laptop, sip your third coffee, and send out an email which is new. Separate from the 72 previous arguments, separate from others’ needs.

Completely new.

You do that for not more than 60 mins a day, or 90 if you type like you haven't spent 12 hours a day with a keyboard in the last 30 years :D

And now, that your outbox is ready, your head is empty, and you did everything that was in YOUR HEAD, now you can check your inbox.

And see what others need.

But basically, what you are doing is the exact opposite.

You are responding to all the other needs and thoughts, and if you are ready (and you never are), then you try to squeeze 30 mins into your week (or month, and this is definitely not an exaggeration—I never hear a top leader not complaining that he/she does not have a single hour in a month to spend with his/her own thoughts.)

Makes sense?

Think and give it a try.

If it works, share and believe me, this article was born after the lemon tree and before the inbox.

Otherwise, I would not have even started.