Computers have made our world a much more information rich society, but they have also created so much information that it is sometimes hard to track it all. Most executives average about 100 pieces of e-mail per day! Additionally, according to the National Association of Professional Organizers, e-mail has added one to two hours to each person's work schedule per day compared to 10 years ago. Here are a few tips to lighten your in-box.
1. Do Your Other Work First
Try not to open your e-mail first thing in the morning!
Complete your other important tasks before opening that in-box.
2. Turn off the "You've Got Mail" Bell/Notification
Constant interruptions with the e-mail notification sound make it
difficult for anyone to complete other tasks.
3. Take Control of Your Email
Don't let email control you. Unsubscribe from lists that you no
longer want or enjoy. Don't let your email pile up. It will become
a chore to go through it all at once.
4. Delete all Unnecessary Mail
Old messages congest servers. Delete old, duplicate or reply
version copies and free up space for new incoming mail.
5. Ask Before You File
If you cannot answer the question, "When will I need to reference
this email again?" then delete.
6. E-Mail Should be Organized into Files
Set up folders in your e-mail program so you can sort incoming
e-mail. You could sort by what you have to do, who it is from
(such as your vendors) or subject.
7. Use Rules/Filters
Rules/filters allow you to have your computer process some of
the email for you. Here are some of our favorite uses for rules
to get you started:
* Pre-filing into appropriate folders
* Sounding an alarm when an important subject or person
is identified
* Setting a red flag (or any other color) when a certain
key word is used
* Dumping all of the jokes and chain-letters into a "someday
when I have time" folder.
8. Auto-responders to Save You Time
Use auto-responders to offer frequently requested information.
These e-mail settings will automatically respond to the sender
with a pre written message. They are often used for brochures,
price lists, directions, etc.
9. Use a Bounce Back Message to Deter Unnecessary E-Mail
Send an automated message to the sender of the e-mails
you receive saying that you do not check e-mail often and
to call if the matter is important or urgent.
10. Preview Messages
Use your preview pane in your listing view to read messages
without opening them.
11. Incorporate into Your To-Do List
As you review your e-mails, update your to-do list with
the action items you have as a result.
By managing your email, you ultimately manage your time. I encourage you to not let your email control you. You Control Your Email!
To your success!
