If you’re like me, you like to be organized. I keep everything I own in a particular place. Whether it is a document in a filing cabinet or an email in a folder, it is organized. With that said, I have about ten email addresses (just for me) and another ten or so I manage for others. The reason I bring this up is because I have all this information organized and conveniently synced to my phone. So when I receive an email, I am notified immediately via push messaging. This is nothing new nor is it special.

However, after a while, I have started to notice this “convenience” may not be good thing after all. Remember, when I receive an email, I am notified immediately. Since I have 20 or so email accounts to manage, I receive EVERY email 24/7 on my phone. This seems like a good way to stay organized – it’s not. What happens is when I leave work, I still receive work emails and now, rather than leaving my work at the office, I am reminded of upcoming tasks at home. This wouldn’t be so bad if I didn’t receive close to 250 emails per day.

This is where stress comes into the equation. See, technology + work x 20 email accounts = stress. It’s a simple explanation. But what is the solution? I could easily disable notifications and still be able to access all email from my phone. I could remove various email accounts and not worry about them so often. I could get rid of mobile email all together. The truth is, even if I removed all my accounts, in the back of my mind, I will know they are out there somewhere. My obsession for organization will not let me leave anything in a condition other than one I create.

With technology so easily available and marketed by “convenience” these days, it is hard (at least for me) not to stay stressed. So, while technology advances and we are able to do more and more on-the-go, I foresee more and more stress related to this so-called “convenience” offered. I’m just talking about email right now. Try to factor in Facebook and Twitter and you’re on a whole other topic.