I've been working on being present and focused in both my work and home lives - trying not to answer my cell phone in meetings and trying not to be on my laptop when my kids are around.
This morning I realized that it's just as important in emailing. Even (especially) in sending out a form email asking for signatures on a legal document. I needed to find some quiet space and wakeful time to focus on each person and figure out what I wanted to communicate.
In the end, the emails were mostly the same, but I did stop to think about each person individually, and hopefully some small part of my effort to be present came across.
It's actually easier NOT to make the effort when there is someone right in front of you because of the illusion of presence physical proximity can create.
I had to consciously focus on my emails, and it made me realize that I should apply myself more devotedly to the people who are right in front of me.
