Friends, colleagues, and clients are all telling me that one of their biggest challenges is trying to manage e-mail overload. They say everyone wants something from them and consequently, they're buried in e-mail. Is this a struggle for you? If so, here are a few tips that will save you some time in reading and receiving e-mail.
1. Limit personal e-mail at work.
Yes, this may seem a drastic step but it's one that will help you stay focused on priorities so you can complete your work and then spend time doing the things that mean the most to you.
2. Use a spam program.
Your employer or ISP may already cover this but if you are running your own system you'll want a spam blocker to help minimize unwanted e-mail as much as possible. (Tip: PC World rates Cloudmark's SpamNet as one of the best.)
3. Use folders to store e-mail.
Your inbox isn't a storage facility, it's for incoming mail. Create folders within your e-mail program that "mirror" the folders you use to store hardcopy in your office/workspace.
4. Change the subject of e-mails to summarize its content.
Make it easy to find any e-mail you decide to keep by changing the subject. For example: if you receive an e-mail with the subject "Update" and it turns out to be a request for you to send someone an update, change the subject to "Send John Doe product update on 8/29/05." This functionality is available in most e-mail programs.
5. Limit the frequency with which you review and process incoming e-mail to 2 or 3x's per day.
Pick times other than when you are most focused, creative, or energized.
6. As a general rule, separate the task of "processing" your incoming e-mail from "working" on your e-mail.
Exception: If you can reply or forward an e-mail in a minute or two, do it, then delete it. Otherwise, save the doing/replying/composing for a later work period.
7. Organize your e-mail by "Received" order.
In other words, make sure you've set up your inbox so the newest e-mails are on top.
8. Empty your e-mail inbox in five steps. Here's how:
Pam N. Woods is co-author of a bestselling book, Create the Business Breakthrough You Want: Secrets and Strategies from the World's Greatest Mentors; endorsed by Ken Blanchard and Dr. Stephen Covey. She is a Coach U graduate and President of Smart WorkLife Solutions, a coaching and consulting company devoted to co-creating customized solutions to fit clients business and personal organizing needs. Prior to founding her own firm she had a successful 20+ year career as an insurance executive and Vice President of Human Resources. For more free how-to articles and advice, or to contact Woods, visit http://www.worklifecoach.com Copyright 2005 - Pam Woods
What would be your reaction if someone said to you... Read More
What does it mean to practice self care? It's creating... Read More
Last week I attended a presentation from Parenting Expert and... Read More
I give presentations on organizational skill building as it relates... Read More
Would you like to know how to get 10 times... Read More
Years ago clients would tell me they could not identify... Read More
"Slaves to the clock" was the cover story in the... Read More
As a professional organizer, consultant and trainer, I have come... Read More
There is no such thing as time management. You cannot... Read More
Isn't it amazing that some people can produce huge results... Read More
Time management is absolute crucial nowadays where business decisions have... Read More
Balancing a family's varying schedules can be near impossible. Soccer,... Read More
It is common knowledge that creating and living according to... Read More
Work brings together people of different characters and behavior, and... Read More
It's been said, "That no one has enough time yet,... Read More
Does it ever feel like there is never enough time... Read More
Ever feel that you spend too much time shoring up... Read More
Are you obsessed with getting everything just right? Do you... Read More
Vilfredo Pareto's Principle, or The "Pareto Principle," is more commonly... Read More
Our daily lives are inundated with a crammed to-do list.... Read More
Many folks tell me that they just don't have time... Read More
Procrastination, the habit of putting tasks off to the last... Read More
Let's look at your time management skills. Most of us... Read More
Such an innocuous little phrase, yet when you are hard... Read More
We don't realize many things we do until we draw... Read More
I keep a fossil on my desk at all times.... Read More
Vilfredo Pareto's Principle, or The "Pareto Principle," is more commonly... Read More
How many times have you remarked to someone that there... Read More
As I sit here in front of the computer... Read More
In most organizations, meetings are often the biggest time-wasters. With... Read More
In our time-crazed society, lots of time is what most... Read More
How many people do you know who are so busy... Read More
One of the biggest problems most people have when it... Read More
Why Read?It's been said that there are three kinds of... Read More
"Because there will always be something more to do, we... Read More
There are times, when I am driving in my car... Read More
Yesterday, I'd just gotten comfortable at my favorite table in... Read More
"I never seem to have any time for myself. What... Read More
Looking out through my picture window during a recent winter... Read More
A new client recently admitted to me sheepishly that she... Read More
Show me, O Lord, my life's end and the number... Read More
Most people want to start a home-based business to make... Read More
?busy, busy, busy, busy, busy?busy, busy, bus? OK, slap me... Read More
Whenever you have projects that can't be done in one... Read More
All requests are not equal; all customers or clients are... Read More
Perhaps it is merely semantics, but an underlying problem I... Read More
How do you know what's the best use of your... Read More
OK...let's assume that you're truly motivated to change. Great. But... Read More
One of the tried and true organization and time-management tools... Read More
What does it mean to practice self care? It's creating... Read More
Time Management |