Join Social Media Mentor Tom Gray and me as we discuss how to detoxify your inbox, and manage your email productivity.
And here is the link to the podcast, which includes at least 20 tips for managing your email and your inbox.
Toxic Emailer: “Chatroom Chuck”
Do you know Chuck?
Chuck could sit behind his desk all day. He likes using group e-mails and e-mails to challenge numerous recipients to “discuss” issues. The more opinions, and the more responses to the responses. The threads multiply exponentially, and Chuck thrives on all the attention that his one e-mail created.
Chuck’s Antidote: E-mail should not be used as a chat room-that is, to “discuss” detailed and involved opinion questions among multiple recipients, or to build group consensus about key issues. Chuck needs to assess the most effective way to collect effective feedback in the shortest amount of time, rather than relying on e-mail to a large group.
Share your “favorite” Toxic emailers, and your recommended antidote.
The information overload that we’re all feeling has prompted alot of affected techy people to create cool solutions to help with the problem. I think that’s great. As an example, here is a link to an article in T&D (Training and Development) Magazine that outlines some of those tools. Check them out. Share more with us.
The hard truth is that if you don’t manage yourself, these tools won’t manage you either. E-mail is here to stay, so the sooner you take control of your habits around how you manage all this, the better these tech tools can help ya.
Wow. Insidebiz.com just posted my article – If your employees were all taking 2 hour lunches, would you address it? http://cli.gs/pq4dhq
Here’s something to try: Pick a day, and Count each time you look at your inbox. Tic marks are all you need. Go ahead. Then at the end of the day, count them up. How do you stack up? The average is about 70. Not to say that that should be your goal…
We’ve advocated checking your inbox 5 times a day.
So that means that for the average guy or gal, that is 65 less times. Think about this–how much time do you think each of those peeks costs? Most people don’t just look at the inbox, they open a few, and try to get rid of a few. Many unfortuately get drawn into working some of the small stuff just to try to keep the numbers down.
If this feels familiar, don’t despair – you’re not alone.
Believe this: it IS possible to check your email less. The less you check it the more productive you’ll be. The key is for you to TAKE control of your habits, and decide when you’ll check, rather when your email wants you to…
Join us for our March Madness 1/2 off teleseminar March 24. Visit http://LeverEdgeCoach.org/teleseminarschedule.html and use MAD50 at checkout.
Your target is 5 times a day. But – never forget to reward incremental progress! 70+= Not so good. 5 = Good
Send your questions our way – we’ll help.
Some people use e-mail to “discuss” issues and gain opinions. Each time an opinion question is sent to numerous people or to a group list, the e-mails tend to develop branches: the opinions multiply exponentially, the threads take on different paths, and each recipient is now receives multiple strings of the same subject e-mail that have gone in different directions. It all results in spending much more collective time than a one time meeting or teleconference may have taken. This makes it more difficult for participants to see the big picture and the overall opinions. The multiple threads are confusing and time consuming.
Instead of using e-mail this way, it is much more effective and productive to call a meeting and discuss the issue in detail. Invoke the “two-round rule:” when you see e-mails developing circling back the second time, call a meeting to discuss the issue in further detail and put an end to future lack of productivity caused by all those e-mails. Better yet, call the meeting in the first place.
Maybe we are looking at this all wrong… Businesses are downsizing because they can’t afford the employee salaries and extras. Don’t they realize that most workers who rely on e-mail to communicate could be sucking the business dry with unintentional productivity theft?
Sometimes it is not just cost saving. Rather, if you can reclaim the productivity that has been lost because of a near pandemic of productivity sapping e-mail habits throughout organizations, you’ll see it in your bottom line.
Consider the impact of getting 10%-20% more out of each worker? Now THAT’S what will re-energize the economy. See our prior posts for how to make this all work…
Your
inbox is making you sick, and
Inbox Detox - And the Habit of E-mail Excellence Order yours today. Detoxify your Inbox tomorrow
