Audrey Thomas

Audrey recently delivered a keynote and breakout sessions for the annual fall conference of the American Payroll Association, Northstar Chapter. She is pictured here with Robin Murphy, Board Member.   

The Internet provides thousands of potential rabbit trails to wander down and get lost on. It seems every page on a website contains multiple links to even more information that can take our focus away from what we're trying to work on.

If you've ever wanted to procrastinate on a project, the Internet is the place to go. Never before has it been so easy to lose track of time.

During a recent Entangled in Email workshop, the class discussed their favorite rabbit trails. Here's a partial list of what they came up with:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• iTunes
• You Tube
• eBay
• Netflix
• Blogs
• LinkedIn
• Weather.com

Identify your favorite rabbit trail so you can stay focused and intentional on the work that needs to get done.

If you've ever found yourself about to press send, but you get a feeling in your gut that is telling you not to, listen to your gut. There's a reason why it's speaking to you.

Perhaps you find yourself thinking these thoughts:

"This is probably going to tick him off."

"This will put her over the edge."

"I hope my client doesn't misinterpret the pricing I've laid out for them."

"I hope they read through this twice before responding back to me."

If you've ever had these or similar thoughts, don't press send. Instead, have a voice-to-voice conversation regarding the matter by picking up the phone or visiting the person face-to-face.

Another option for those emails that might be a bit "edgy," is to put them in your drafts folder overnight. It's amazing what rest can do for your mind and your gut.