E MAIL JUNKIE???

How to avoid being an e-mail addict – my top 10 tips to stay in control

Follow the normal rules of time management

1. Devote set times to checking e-mail
When you create your to do list, schedule time to check your e-mails, prioritise tasks and complete things in priority order. Complete the task you are working on before moving onto the next. This includes leaving your mail unless absolutely necessary in order to complete the task in hand.

Would you allow a visitor to just drop by and demand your time? You’d expect them to make an appointment. So why should anyone sending an e-mail demand your attention when you’re in the middle of doing something else?

2. Remove distractions
Decide when is the best time for you to deal with your e-mails, and stick to this. Limit it to twice or maximum three times a day. The rest of the time either turn your e-mail program off altogether or at the very least, disable the notification of new mail. This might take a bit of getting used to so here’s something for you to try for a week and see how you get on. (If it’s ESSENTIAL that you need to be IMMEDIATELY contacted by e-mail, then naturally this isn’t for you.)

1. Check your e-mail first thing in the morning
2. Then close the programme
3. See how long you can hold out before checking it again
4. When you open your e-mail programme, check just how many (or how few) ‘urgent’, ‘must read it now’, ‘must do it now’ e-mails have arrived
5. Close the e-mail programme
6. See how long you can hold out
7. Repeat
8. Learn from the experience!!
Try to separate other functions from your e-mail, if at all possible, to avoid the temptation to look at your e-mails each time you open that programme.

Manage the volume of e-mails landing in your inbox

3. Pick up the phone
Do you remember the days when if you wanted to get a message to someone urgently you either picked up the phone or walked to their desk? How much of the e-mail you receive has been initiated by you in the first place?

It’s often very tempting to send an e-mail to ask a simple question, but then have a whole series of e-mails back and fourth (and time delay) before actually getting the answer you need? Yes, granted, there is an advantage if they are not available, but so often a two minute phone call could get something done and dusted there and then, without the need for you to be checking every 15 minutes to see if you’ve had a response.

4. Stamping out the CYA culture
Do you have people in your team who feel the need to copy you in on everything they send out in an attempt to cover their a***?

For every e-mail you receive internally that does not require direct action from you – make a point of highlighting this with the sender. If you purely want to be copied in for reference then ask that you be cc’d and setup your rules wizard for these items to be sent to a separate file.

5. Educate others
If you always respond to e-mails instantly, you set up people’s expectations. With people who you deal with regularly let them know that you only check your e-mails twice a day and that it’s always better to call you if they need to contact you urgently.

6. Get off mailing lists
Most of us these days get tonnes of e-mails to promote products, newsletters, online periodicals, etc, that we either never read – or if we do have little value to your business. So have a purge and unsubscribe to all those you don’t need; if there is no option to unsubscribe (which any reputable company would do) then add the sender’s name to your blocked senders list.

Set up systems and rules

7. Spam filters
Getting the level of spam filtering just right can be difficult. If you’re worried about missing those important e-mails add their e-mail address to your white list.

8. Set up folders
Set up separate folders (in line with your normal filing system) and file your e-mails straight away to avoid having to spend hours searching for past e-mails.

9. Set up rules
Consider creating rules for incoming mail from specified senders or with certain words in the subject line, so they go straight to the appropriate folder. This is a great tool for non urgent e-mail that you might want to review just once a week, e.g. newsletters or on line journals.

10. Set up different accounts
Having more than one e-mail account can help prevent your primary inbox becoming swamped, and help you filter what you get when. For example, I have a separate account I use whenever giving my e-mail address to unknown sources, e.g. buying products on line. This account has the spam filter set at a higher level, so if my details do get passed on I am less likely to get bombarded with spam.

I also use another account for personal use, so I am not distracted during the day dealing with personal issues and equally I can filter out work e-mail when I want to switch off from the office.

So stop being an e-mail addict, and take some action today and see how much you improve your productivity over the coming weeks.

E-mail contact me directly caroline@zealcoaching.com
Phone 01403 752487 or 07887 540914