It doesn't matter

I finished a nice book by Sri. Eknath Easwaran, titled Take Your Time today. Sri. Easwaran teaches doing one thing at a time and devoting undivided attention on it. While I was reading the book, I came across an article titled Manage Your Energy, Not Your Time in the October 2007 issue of the Harvard Business Review. Tony Schwartz, the author, talks about taking time to recharge you body, emotions, mind and soul.

Here is an excerpt - "E&Y’s hard-charging Wanner used to answer e-mail constantly throughout the day—whenever he heard a “ping.” Then he created a ritual of checking his e-mail just twice a day—at 10:15 am and 2:30 pm. Whereas previously he couldn’t keep up with all his messages, he discovered he could clear his in-box each time he opened it—the reward of fully focusing his attention on e-mail for 45 minutes at a time. Wanner has also reset the expectations of all the people he regularly communicates with by e-mail. “I’ve told them if it’s an emergency and they need an instant response, they can call me and I’ll always pick up,” he says. Nine months later he has yet to receive such a call."

It is possible that Tony Schwartz was influenced by Sri. Easwaran or vice versa. It is fascinating how similar they are, albeit coming from very different spheres of thought.

Ever noticed how "Sir" and "Sri", both used to accord respect, are similar?