Mitch Thrower

Be acutely aware of those people who have nothing to say.

Mentally define what you are trying to achieve with the people you are interacting with on a daily basis and then develop a routine that allows you to maximize useful contact and minimize unnecessary contact.

The only prize for having an empty in-box, and for sending responses to everyone who contacted you, is a few minutes of quiet.

Pay attention to the details of communication.

With instant messaging and e-mail the game of intentional mistaken identity looms large over both the work and personal landscape.

A part of being connected is understanding how to identify and remove the nonessential.

E-mail correspondence is the Whack-the-Mole game for attention-starved times.

For many people, receiving messages still symbolizes hope.

If you drop everything every time someone tries to reach you, you will find yourself doing more dropping than carrying.

The most powerful concept we have to grasp is that attention and time are more valuable than any diamond.