I read a Tweet last week said, “Let’s be honest, there’s only one job and it’s email.” It’s funny because it feels true– most of our workdays could be spent checking in, following up, reaching out, and reaching for the elusive and temporary win of inbox zero.

But here’s the truth: your job is not emails and meetings. Whatever you got hired to do is more than that. Perhaps you communicate about your work over emails or present your progress in meetings. But that is not your job. Your job is to do the verb. Recruit. Write. Art Direct. Manage. Direct. Research. Analyze. Market. Sell.

Email is a task that feels easy, doesn’t require much mental lift, and offers small rewards of dopamine every time you hit send or delete or unsubscribe. I say it’s not your job because if after spending all day in your inbox, 4pm rolls around and most of us would feel like “ugh I was busy all day but I didn’t get any real work done.”

The point here is for the managers in the room. Give your team time to do their job. Being in meetings all day and constantly checking in over email so you can keep an eye on your team while we all work remotely is not helpful for getting work done. We need time to focus and commit to that work.

Our job is to do the verb.
Not to email and attend meetings.

Let us help your team focus and do their work. We offer workshops and training on topics of focus, energy, collaboration, and creativity. As well as private focus sessions for teams like yours.

Caveday is on a mission to help you improve your relationship to work. We write regularly and send out monthly newsletters with productivity tips, life hacks, and recommendations. Sign up for the mailing list here.

Jake Kahana is a cofounder of Caveday. Sign up for his personal emails, called “The Email Refrigerator” here.