As soon as our Blackberrys vibrate or we hear the ping of a new email arriving in our inbox (the tiny envelope icon lingering in the bottom right corner of the computer monitor, taunting us), most of us drop whatever we’re doing and check it out – eager to respond first, or at least to have the option to be the first to weigh in.

But, I’m here to tell you that it’s time to stop.  Sure, there are times when major projects are reaching completion or you’re waiting to hear back about an important issue with one of your clients, so you need to be instantly accessible.  But, most of the time, you don’t need to drop everything at the first sign of an email communication.  In fact, waiting might actually help you.

Here are five reasons to wait before checking your email for the twentieth time this hour:

1. Your productivity suffers
Sure, you’re a great multi-tasker.  That’s how you got to where you are today.  But, more and more studies are showing that each time you take a break from your work (especially if you’re working on something mentally intensive, like writing a report or creating a presentation) it takes you much longer than the ten second email break to get your brain back into work mode.  That’s why sometimes things that should take you an hour wind up taking three.  So, I like to institute no-email blocks in the day where I’m doing my most intense writing.  Then everything gets done faster and better.

2. Sometimes, time can actually help you
Have you ever stepped away from your desk for an hour, only to come back and see a huge chain of emails between a few of your staffers?  You read through the chain thinking, “uh oh, what did I miss?” only to discover that a minor problem both appeared and was resolved in the time that you were away? I think we all want to think that our input is needed (most of the time it is, of course!), but if something truly urgent happens, I guarantee you’ll get a call if you need to weigh in.  Otherwise, let your staffers figure out problems on their own, it’s how they learn.

3. The quick answer isn’t always the best answer
The pressure to respond instantly to emails can definitely be intense, especially when a heated debate is rapidly unfolding in cyber-space.  But, like above, sometimes it’s best to wait until clearer heads prevail.  If it looks like a fight is beginning to emerge, the last thing you want to do is hop in and fire off an angry email that could haunt you for days.  Step away from the computer and wait until cooler heads prevail.  You’ll be glad you did.  In fact, since people are often more likely to be agressive via email than in person (it’s easier to hide behind the screen), you might be better off not responding at all and just setting up a meeting to talk the issue through.

4. It sets a precedent that you can’t escape from
In a lot of ways, email can be a trap.  Once people get used to you responding to everything within minutes, that cycle can be hard to break.  And, that’s how we get into situations where you spend your vacation with the Blackberry strapped to your ear or find yourself waking up in the middle of the night to check your email.  I find that the best way to handle this is to be honest about when you will respond.  Tell people how available you’ll be (or won’t be) during vacations and be clear about who can handle issues in your absence.  And, as for every day, set aside a few times during the day when you’ll check/respond to email.  There’s no reason that anyone needs to be kept waiting more than an hour or two and this still gives you solid blocks of time to do the “real” work.

5. It can give the image that your time isn’t as important as someone else’s
Think about it.  If you can take the time out of your day to respond instantly to every single little issue that comes up, what else are you doing?  Anyone who’s ever been frustrated because their boss took a day or two to respond to an email knows that the reason that they’re frustrated is because the person their waiting on is “more important” than they are.  Remember how much your time is worth, and allocate your work accordingly.

Read more from contributing writer Jennifer Lee Johnson on her personal finance blog, The Next Rich Girl, or follow her on twitter.

So, we all sat around for an extra hour a day twiddling our thumbs so as not to arouse his suspicion.  Sure, some days we had plenty of work to carry us to 6 or later.  But, other days… not so much.

It was always especially tough for me. If there’s one thing I do really well, its manage my time.  I’m the type who would rather work through lunch than stay late and I often manage my day down to the minute to make sure I get everything done on time – and done well.

So, sitting around every night just for appearances made me angry.  Shouldn’t your work be evaluated based on… well.. your work?  Not how many hours you punch on a time card?

What my boss wound up doing was giving me an incentive to be less productive (what was the point in getting everything done by 5 if you still had to stay another hour anyway?) and resentful.  I asked for extra work, but there wasn’t always more to do (if there was, I did it, of course!) – which made me that much more resentful… What was I supposed to be doing for that extra hour or two if there wasn’t more work to do? All in all, it was frustrating.

Nowadays, I have a different problem.  There’s always more to be done at my current job.  I have ten thousand things on my to do list and enough work to carry me for 24 hours a day if I wanted to.

But, I’m still only working a 40 hour-ish week.  Definitely never more than 45.

Why?

Well, I’ve come to realize that once I hit that eight hour mark, my productivity declines dramatically.  An assignment that takes me an hour to write at 8 a.m., takes me three hours if I start it at 6 p.m.  After about eight hours of work, my mind starts to feel the pressure.  I think it simply gets tired.

And the quality goes down.  Sometimes, I’ll look at something I wrote at the end of the day and realize that I spent three times as much time on it and it absolutely stinks.

So, what’s the point of working late then?  Isn’t it better to work only in the times when you’re the most productive and only put out the best product?

I think so many people nowadays have this idea that the longer you work, the harder you work.  They see it as a reflection of how dedicated you are… how promotable you are… how important you are…

But, a lot of the time it’s just a show.  Just like the performances I used to put on for my old boss each night.

The best workers are the ones who don’t have to tell you how hard they work or how dedicated they are.  They show it in their work.

Take a look at your average workday… how much of the time are you really productive?  When you stay late, is it worth it?  Food for thought.

Read more from contributing writer Jennifer Lee Johnson on her personal finance blog, The Next Rich Girl, or follow her on twitter.

But one commenter mentioned brought up a bigger issue. If you’re watching the clock all day or if you have a negative attitude about your job, maybe you should rethink that job altogether. Should we all be using this time to get a reality check on our current job situations and look for something new? Something that inspires us?

Of course! Especially because I think you learn so much about an company by the way they treat their employees during a downturn. Has your organization used the recession as an excuse to treat you and your coworkers with disrespect or take advantage of you? Have they taken away perks that don’t affect the bottom line and blamed the economic downturn? Has the work environment become unbearable? These are all signs that it might be time to move on.

However, moving on in a recession can be scary. You want to make sure that you’re doing the right thing. And, even more than that, you want to make sure that, no matter what happens, you’ll be able to pay your bills.

It’s time to take stock, to think about what you want to do next and to make a plan to get there. Here are a few things to think about as you plot your next move:

1. What attracted you to your current job in the first place?

2. What are your favorite aspects of your current job?

3. What did you always dream of doing when you grew up? Are there ways to incorporate those dreams into your job?

4. What is your proudest career accomplishment?

5. If you could get rid of one work task, what would it be?

6. What do you wish you could do more of?

Doing some real soul searching can help you identify exactly what you want your next steps to be. By thinking about the things you love and hate about your current position, you can start forming a list of all the qualities you’re looking for in your next position. Maybe you need more flexible hours or you’re looking for more management experience. Perhaps you want to do more writing or to flex your sales muscles. These are all important things to consider as you start to think about your next steps. It is so easy to just jump ship when things are going poorly at work, but by taking time to think about what you want and where you want to go next, you’ll be able to jump to a bigger and better ship, instead of just being tossed around in the waves.

 Read more from contributing writer Jennifer Lee Johnson on her personal finance blog, The Next Rich Girl, or follow her on twitter.

Here are a few things to keep in mind:

1. Check your attitude

We’re all stressed and we’re all angry about the economy, but don’t let that stress seep into your work life. This is the time for all of us to be team players and to try to stay positive in the face of adversity. I don’t mean that you should roll over and let your employer take advantage of you in the name of the downturn (see my previous post about how loyalty can actually hurt your career), but I do think that we all have to be agile as we figure out how the evolving economy affects our lives. Try not to be the office whiner. All that will do is make people around you more upset. And, if you’re the one hurting office morale, you may be the next to go. Save your complaining for drinks with your (non-work) friends.

2. Stop watching the clock

If you’re the type of person who flies out the door every day as soon as the clock hits five, you might want to kick that habit now. It might not feel fair, but even if your work is done you might want to think twice about being a clock watcher. In a bad economy, the people percieved as overachievers are the ones who are most likely to survive.

3. Step up to the plate

Is there a nightmare project that everyone knows has to get done but everyone is avoiding? Now might be the time to step up and tackle it. By showing that you aren’t afraid to do some of the less glamorous work, you show that you’re a team player — a valuable asset in this economy.

4. Remind your boss how valuable you are

Now is not the time to be shy. Take a moment to reiterate some of your major successes to your boss so she doesn’t forget about all the ways you’ve helped the company. Everyone’s moving a mile a minute right now and sometimes this means that we only have time to focus on whatever the next urgent thing on our list is. You don’t have to make a big deal about it, just drop it into your next conversation with your boss (something like, “With my experience closing accounts X, Y and Z, I thought I’d be a good candidate to take on the A account as well.”).

5. Don’t be afraid to reveal hidden talents

Do you speak a foriegn language or have experience writing proposals even though your main job function is direct sales (for example)? Don’t forget to share your hidden talents with your boss and volunteer to take on activities outside your main job description. If your boss needs to make staff cuts, you’ll be percieved as more valuable because you may be able to do the job of multiple employees.

The moral of the story here is to take the time to show your employer that you’re a team player and you’re ready for anything. It might seem like a pain to take on extra work, but in the long run, it can only help your career. Not only will you help protect your job, down the line, when the economy is better and your company is looking for people to promote, you’ll have proven yourself to be a dedicated, proactive member of the team.

Read more from contributing writer Jennifer Lee Johnson on her personal finance blog, The Next Rich Girl, or follow her on twitter.

I think that this mindset can sometimes be more difficult for women to get used to than men. Traditionally, men are more apt to negotiate for better pay, to ask for promotions, and to look for better opportunities when things dry up at their current companies. Women, on the other hand, tend to be quieter about touting their own accomplishments and aren’t as aggressive about negotiating promotions and raises, thinking instead that their good work and loyalty will be rewarded in the long run — without their calling attention to it.

Unfortunately, we’re learning the hard way that loyalty isn’t always rewarded. In fact, sometimes the people who are the quietest about their accomplishments are the ones who are most likely to be taken advantage of by their employers. After all, if you’re never asking for more money, why would any smart business owner give you a raise?

And the story gets even more grim in a recession, when we’re all expected to show our passion and to fight for the few jobs that are available. Shyness is easily interpreted as “not caring” and you might be first to go when layoffs strike. Even if you are safe, that doesn’t mean that you should just breathe a sigh of relief and continue forward with the status quo. The motto “always be prepared” has never been more necessary.

As I’ve talked to the young women I work with, there is this pervading sense that looking for another job right now (even when it’s clear that your current job isn’t safe) means that you’re being disloyal. They feel guilty (heck, I feel it too, sometimes), like they are abandoning their company when the company needs them most. This is the feeling that some companies bank on. Because we all know the job market is tough, some companies are holding the threat of layoffs over their employees, motivating them to work harder for less pay. This may be something we all need to do for now, but, in the long run, is that the company you want to work for? Is that the company that deserves your loyalty?

The moral of the story is to look out for number one. If you’re worried about losing your job, the time to look for a new one is now, not when the pink slip comes. No one else is going to protect you. Recession or not, you have to put yourself in the best position to push your career forward – and careers nowadays rarely move forward in a linear fashion. Fight for your job, fight to get paid what you’re worth and fight for your future, whether it’s at your current company or another one.

Read more from contributing writer Jennifer Lee Johnson on her personal finance blog, The Next Rich Girl, or follow her on twitter.