These days with such easy access via phones, emails, and texts, everyone seems to expect instant responses. What is the best way to respond/communicate and keep one’s sanity?

There are many new technologies that impact how we communicate. It’s hard to keep sane with multiple devices and communication tools. Here are two tips to help you respond while still keeping your sanity:

1. Turn off all notifications: You don’t need to know every time you get a text or Skype message; control your time and communications by intentionally replying when you can fully attend to the message.
2. Avoid task-switching: Task switching is when you jump from one task to another, such as writing an email, then checking your texts, then switching back to email. These jumps take brain energy and cost you time as your brain catches up. So complete on one batch of tasks at a time (emails) before moving to another set of tasks (meetings).
3. Set Boundaries: Communicate your availability to others, so they know when to expect a response.