Controlling Your Email Overload

Understand the appropriate use of email

E-mail is a great tool – if it’s used appropriately. When should you use email to communicate?

Use email when the message contains simple ideas or mostly short informational data. Examples:
• The marketing committee will meet at 2 PM Tuesday.
• Joe, are you going to be there?
• The meeting will be either on Tuesday or Thursday: please respond to me by tomorrow with your preference.
• Sally, what’s the status of the Miller report?
• The new vacation policy has been posted on the internal website [link].

Do NOT use email when:
• The message is complex
• The communication requires lots of back-and-forth exchange of information
• There are emotional issues involved
• A number of people with differing views need to discuss the content
Saving time in dealing with e-mail

• Set a regular time to check email - once or twice a day at most. Reserve one hour to achieve the next step.

• Process each email, one at a time, top down. Take action on everything you get:
o Read it and delete it if you don’t need it. How many of the saved attachments did you really look for in the last year? What’s your company’s record retention policy?
o Act on it. If you can do it in two minutes or less, do it and delete it.
o If you can’t do it in two minutes, file it for later action (put it on your schedule).
o Don’t reply if a reply isn’t necessary (i.e., don't send a "thank you for the email" note.)

• Unsubscribe to those newsletters you don’t need or have time to read

• Disconnect instant messaging

• Use spam blockers as appropriate

• Use your email software's rules and filters to eliminate or automate answers

• When you have to register at a website, use a personal email address instead of your business email address.

• Ask your friends to send "social" email to your personal address

• Ask people not to "courtesy copy" you

• Be a good email citizen

o Write short, to-the-point messages
o Take as much time composing an email as you would a letter
o Pay attention to spelling and grammar – they make your email easier to read and understand
o Only send email messages when you have a good business reason
o Ask for clear action (e. g., please confirm by Tuesday that you will attend the meeting)
o Send copies only to those who need them

Voice Mail

The same rules apply to voice mail as email, plus:
• Keep your recorded greeting brief. People know the drill.
o Ask the caller for a concise statement of what is needed
o If you can, limit the length of messages your system will accept to one or two minutes, and let your caller know the limit

• Get caller ID. Answer the phone only if you can be interrupted, or the caller is someone with whom you must speak

• When you are the caller:
o If you don't really need to talk person to person (such as a request for a phone number or a yes-or-no answer to a question), call late at night or very early and leave a brief message
o Have your message ready so you don't hem and haw
o Get to the point
o Give your return phone number at the beginning of the message so the listener doesn't have to listen to the whole thing over again to get it

More information on saving time is available from George Krafcisin, Executive and Small Business Coach, at www.MosaicCoaching.biz