Dr. Dewett's Weekly Column - FEELING BOGGED DOWN BY YOUR EMAIL?

10:45 am - FEELING BOGGED DOWN BY YOUR EMAIL?

It is amazing to me how many little things drive us nuts every single day and put a dent in our morale and productivity.  Case in point:  email!  It is supposed to enhance communication, but often has the opposite effect.  Learning how to manage email is a huge part of overall productivity for most professionals.  Many of us, however, tend to let the email manage us instead of the other way around.  To take control of this potentially useful communication channel, consider the following:

Send less, receive less 

·         Send out fewer emails and you will receive fewer.  Wait until you see someone if possible, and talk to them – skip the email.  In addition, be very conservative when deciding who to copy on the note.  The more people you copy, the more you create future emails to process.

Say less to say more

·      Choose your words wisely and err on few instead of many.  Yes, that might mean at least one ounce of thought and editing before sending the note.  Resist the temptation to spill out a million background details.  You need to be efficient.  Besides – with email, the more you say the higher the likelihood you will be misinterpreted (text on a computer screen never conveys as much accurate information as higher forms of communication such as face-to-face). 

Sort them using the 80/20

·         All emails are not created equal!  Think 80/20.  The 20% is very urgent – i.e., it is highly relevant to your long-term success (and your team’s).  The 80% goes into a “later” or “travel” folder to be read while at home or in the elevator, cab or plane.

Ask to opt out of some lists

·         If you think you are powerful or important to the extent that you are copied on many emails, you are deluded – and wasting important time if reading or responding to all of them.  There is no doubt that a large minority of emails you receive you do not actually need to receive.  Reach out politely and positively and tell the sender to stop copying you on certain emails. 

Mange your email time explicitly

·         Most professionals make the mistake of leaving themselves constantly tethered to their email either via the office pc or smart phone.  This causes all manner of distractions while you are working, in meetings, etc.  Instead, try one of two strategies.  One, only allow yourself to check at certain intervals (e.g., once per hour).  Two, dedicate a certain chunk of time each day to processing the majority of the emails. To spread it out all day long is to dilute your mental ability to focus on the task at hand.

Put the burden on them

·         Don’t be afraid to simply reply and ask that they call you on the telephone at a particular time.  First, phone or face-to-face is far more effective than email.  Second, it puts the communication burden on them – they have to call you or explain why their need is worthy of your immediate attention.

When in doubt, save!

·         Computer space is cheap, and a record of things can be priceless.  To properly manage impressions, remember not to “cc” or “bcc” people unnecessarily – but when in doubt, do save a record of the interaction.  Do not allow this “CYA” move trick you into using email too much – but when email is appropriate, a copy is a good think to have.