When Good Email Goes Bad

As a REALTOR®, my email is my life line. On an average day, I get anywhere from 40 emails and on a busy day, 100 (or many more) emails are not uncommon. I’m connected to my email just about everywhere I go. My Palm Treo gives me access to my email on the go. I opted for the Windows based model when I bought my smart phone because it works better with my email, even though sometimes it’s worse as a phone (imagine having to reboot your cell phone a few times a day.) Even with all of my phone’s quirks, I am assured that every 10 minutes, almost without fail, I have access to my emails. I prioritize when I answer them… my phone’s keyboard is quite small, and frankly, my typing thumbs cramp up rather quickly, so some emails must wait to be answered when I get to my computer, but others that are more urgent can be answered right away. Nothing makes a REALTOR’s® job smoother than being able to answer urgent emails promptly rather than waiting to put out fires when I can finally read them. And at times, it’s worth the sore thumbs.

Frankly, I’m addicted to my email. Without it, I wouldn’t even know how to function. Without it, I go into withdrawals. My name is Luba, and I am an email junkie.

For the last 24 hours, and still counting, my email server has been down. My IT department is working on the fix, and I know that relatively soon, I will get my email back. Soon, I will able to read my clients’ emails, and I will be able to respond. But for now… I find myself holding my phone and trying to force the emails to jump back into it. I look at my MicroSoft Outlook and hit the send/receive button over and over and over, waiting for the miraculous moment when that first email trickles back into my inbox. I catch myself wondering what is in that inbox? What if there is something there that needs immediate attention? What if someone needs me and I can’t jump to the rescue? I can imagine that this is what Bruce Wayne would feel like without his Bat-Signal. Yes, people can call me, but if you’re used to calling Bat Man by using the Bat-Signal, it might take you a while to figure that you should call his Bat Phone when he doesn’t respond right away.

I know I’ll be ok eventually. I know that my email will be back, and I know that the citizens of San Francisco will again be able to count on me to promptly answer their real estate needs via email. But for now, I’m looking into support groups for those that have lost their emails. If you have any suggestions… don’t hesitate to share.