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Are You a Pot Smoking Pastor?
Orginally published on Monday, October 01, 2007 at 7:47 AM
by Todd Rhoades
I just picked up the new book, The Age of Speed by Vince Poscente. It’s a fascinating read on how our lives have sped up with all the current technologies (and how to deal with ‘the need for speed’.) In the first chapter, Poscente talks about how sometimes our access to information can be either a good thing or a bad thing. His discussion of email was especially interesting to me. Here’s a stat that he through out: Research has revealed that allowing frequent email interruptions causes a drop in performance equivalent to losing ten IQ points. Or, you could equate the frequent interruptions to two and a half times the effect you’ve experience after smoking pot...
Now I’m not sure who actually got to take part of that study, but I do know this: I don’t have an extra 10 IQ points that I can give up on any given day. I can’t speak to the effects of pot-smoking. But I can readily admit that I’m an email addict. And I’m not the only one. I’m attending a conference this morning, and I can tell you that there are a few hundred pastors here, and most of them have been ‘smoking pot’.
Limiting the amount of times I check my email each day would, I’m convinced, increase my productivity dramatically according to this study. I’m going to try to work on that this week.
How are you doing minimizing distractions? It might be the first step to making your week more productive this week!
Make it a great one…
Todd
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Hi... I'm Todd Rhoades. I'm a Christ-follower, husband, father and I love to connect leaders with other leaders. Hopefully you'll find something here at MMI you like and will return often. If you want, you can find out more about me or follow my every step on Twitter.
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Posted by Peter Hamm
Monday, October 01, 2007 at 9:02 AM
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Monday, October 01, 2007 at 9:06 AM
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Monday, October 01, 2007 at 9:33 AM
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Monday, October 01, 2007 at 9:46 AM
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Monday, October 01, 2007 at 11:03 AM
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Monday, October 01, 2007 at 10:07 PM
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Tuesday, October 02, 2007 at 6:46 AM
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Tuesday, October 02, 2007 at 8:17 AM
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Tuesday, October 02, 2007 at 9:51 AM
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Wednesday, October 03, 2007 at 1:29 PM
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Posted by bigdadgib
Wednesday, October 03, 2007 at 5:32 PM
Post Your Comments:I’ve never smoked pot, but I’m doubtin’ that stat.
Dude....
Dude, Where’s my computer? anybody got something to eat?
Seriously, I can see the impact of interruptions but I don’t know about the IQ points. For me it is my cell phone more than my computer.
It does explain the need for always having a bag of doritos by the computer.
I am an email/cell phone junkie as well. Here are some thoughts along the road of recovery.
Turn off that cotton-pickin’, ding in Outlook that notifies you that mail has arrived.
Set up rules that sends email to certain folders so you can read large groups of emails from one group of people at one time.
Resist that Blackberry temptation. I don’t own a Blackberry and don’t want one....ok...really I do want one, I pay $2.95 to be able to read my email on my cell phone. That’s as far as I will go, I CANNOT get a Blackberry. We have a guy in our small group who has one and I give him a hard time every time he checks it when we are supposed to be in fellowship!
Turn the ringer off on your cell phone and let the vmail pick up when you are in meetings.
I have seriously considered having my admin. assistant check my email and send me what I need to read. Does anybody else do that?
My two cents…
Derek
Pot smoking pastor...possible. When I was in living in Kansas City as a teen we had a local church start called the House of Agape composed of “hippies” who still smoked. That was in the late 60’s ... As far as the email interruptions. I have a habit of just checking 3 times a day. I did meet a fellow who was addicted to his Blackberry. This fellow was constantly toying with it, texting, while I was talking. Rude… Now blackberry cobber...that is a better idea!
I’m addicted to email, and that has helped me to understand the dynamics of addictions that have never troubled me. I’m not sure it makes me stupid, but I am sure it makes my work take longer, so my family, garden, exercise program and prayer life suffer.
I’m so addicted I have not yet turned this addiction over to God.
It’s been enlightening.
I believe it. I have been working a big writing project and just couldn’t get it off the plateau. It was driving me and my family nuts. Until one day, I turned off MS Outlook. And low and behold - wham, I got off the plateau and made real progress.
In the name of science
, I have turned Outlook back on. And I’m stuck on another plateau. If past performance is any indication of future plans, I’ll wait till I’m driving my wife crazy again, before turning it off and finishing the project. 
Here is Michael Hyatt’s take on email and work productivity. (Hyatt is President and CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
http://www.michaelhyatt.com/fromwhereisit/2007/07/my-e-mail-exper.html
The “pot” research was sourced from “Statistically Speaking” on page 5 of Computing Canada, June 17, 2005. The research revealed that allowing frequent email interruptions causes a drop in performance EQUIVALENT to losing ten IQ points - 2.5 times the drop seen after smoking pot.
Stay skeptical… avoid interruptions… don’t inhale
Not just e-mail… I find myself checking my “bloglines” every half hour now too. There goes another 10 points…
Interesting… I have never smoked pot before… Email.... Now THAT’S a different story.
Did great being away from it for a couple of days this weekend… Yet, once I started back.....
Okay… I’ve been convicted.
Good food for thought. Going too far with anything can be a danger.
Don’t start, you will never have the problem.
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