In my blogs and my book (see below), I have often discussed process as an essential part of Netiquette. Nowhere does it apply more than to checking/sending email. The article below has good tips, but process does involve more. Watch this space!
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7 Email Tips That Will Boost Your Productivity
Jacquelyn Smith
Jun. 24, 2014, businessinsider.com
Email is
intended to increase efficiency and make our lives a bit easier. But, more
often than not, it ends up being detrimental to our productivity — especially
at work.
"Email can
be a boon to productivity, saving time spent in meetings or on phone
conversations," says Susan Lasky, a business consultant
and productivity coach. But, it's usually more of a distraction and time
suck, she says.
"Email
definitely hurts productivity at work," adds Dave Baggett, CEO of Inky,
an email management platform. "It's gotten completely insane for
everyone I know. Many office workers are getting hundreds of messages a
day."
Every time we
are interrupted by an email, it can take us up to 40 minutes to get back to the
task we were doing, Lasky explains. "Even if it is just to 'glance' at the
incoming message, we are transitioned away from what we were working on, and
lose some of our focus." When we transition into a new mindset of
dealing with the topic of the email — even if we don't take the time to respond
— it pierces a hole in our concentration, and the productive accomplishment of
what we were working on, she says.
Here are seven
easy ways to prevent email from killing your productivity and taking over your
day:
Only check your inbox once an hour.
The most
important way to improve productivity is to not let email constantly interrupt
you, Baggett says. "Many studies show that — in layman's terms —
multitasking makes you dumber. So check email once every hour or every few
hours, but don't become 'interrupt-driven.'"
Set up an auto reply.
If you are
concerned that you'll miss something deadline-specific, have an automatic
response message that says when you will review your email again, and that, if
it is urgent, you can be reached by phone. "It is important that you
actually check your email at the times you've stated," Lasky explains.
Turn off notifications.
Turning off
automatic notification of new emails can help prevent distraction. "And
don't cheat by turning it off on your computer but having your smartphone
beep," Lasky says.
Use an email client.
Use an email
client that automatically understands what your messages are about, or set up
filter rules in the email client you're required to use at work, Baggett
suggests.
"Filter
rules identify words or phrases in the subject or sender line of the message,
so you can create rules that match on sender 'Groupon,' subject, 'offer,' and
so on, to create a filter that works for you. It's a pain to do this, but if
you spend a few hours on it once, it will help keep the clutter out of your
inbox."
Unsubscribe.
Remove yourself
from as many subscriber lists as possible, or have them forwarded to an email
subdirectory that you can look at when the topic comes up.
"If you
unsubscribe diligently, you'll also reduce email clutter and be more
productive," Baggett says. "The good news is that senders are
required by law to obey an unsubscribe request and can be fined if they don't.
So, in practice, unsubscribing does work."
You should also
ask colleagues to take you off "automatic distribution" lists for projects
that aren't critical, Lasky says.
Don't always email.
Contrary to
popular belief, it's not always the fastest and easiest way to communicate. Sending
just one "quick" note can turn into a long, time-consuming thread of
emails. If you have a question for a colleague, walk over to his or her desk,
or pick up the phone and call.
Write emails in bullet-point format.
If you're the
type of person to spend an excessive amount of time composing emails, you'll
want to rethink your approach.
Lasky says
writing emails in a bullet-point format is an efficient way to write (and read)
emails. "Just state, in as few words as possible, the key points you want
to communicate. Let go of the conversational verbiage or being overly detailed.
If it requires more communication than that, email clearly isn't the best
medium."
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In
addition to this blog, I have authored the premiere book on
Netiquette, "Netiquette IQ - A Comprehensive Guide to Improve, Enhance
and Add Power to Your Email". You can view my profile, reviews of the
book and content excerpts at:
www.amazon.com/author/paulbabicki
If you would like to listen to experts in all aspects of Netiquette and communication, try my radio show on BlogtalkRadio and an online newsletter via paper.li.I have established Netiquette discussion groups with Linkedin and Yahoo. I am also a member of the International Business Etiquette and Protocol Group and Minding Manners among others. I regularly consult for the Gerson Lehrman Group, a worldwide network of subject matter experts and I have been contributing to the blogs Everything Email and emailmonday . My work has appeared in numerous publications and I have presented to groups such as The Breakfast Club of NJ Rider University and PSG of Mercer County New Jersey.
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www.amazon.com/author/paulbabicki
If you would like to listen to experts in all aspects of Netiquette and communication, try my radio show on BlogtalkRadio and an online newsletter via paper.li.I have established Netiquette discussion groups with Linkedin and Yahoo. I am also a member of the International Business Etiquette and Protocol Group and Minding Manners among others. I regularly consult for the Gerson Lehrman Group, a worldwide network of subject matter experts and I have been contributing to the blogs Everything Email and emailmonday . My work has appeared in numerous publications and I have presented to groups such as The Breakfast Club of NJ Rider University and PSG of Mercer County New Jersey.
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