Avoid the Email Time Management Trap

Email has become such an important part of our lives that we simply can’t live without it; we hate it and resent it, but we can’t live without. However, part of the problem with email is that we confuse familiarity with proficiency. In other words, we assume that since we know how to use email, we must be using it effectively. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

If you want to convert your email efforts from a trial to a tool, start practicing these time saving email tips:

1. Use specific subject lines. “Help,” “Announcement,” or "Question" provides no value as subject lines. Maximize the subject line's message. Smartphone users will get the message quickly; everyone will appreciate the clear summary. Sometimes it is best to put the entire message in the subject line: “ Jack, can we set the meeting for 3 pm tomorrow?”
2. Get to the point. Put the important points in your message first: put dates, deadlines and deliverables in the first one to three lines of the message (if not also in the subject line). People are busy; if they can’t grasp your point immediately, they will quit reading.
3. Be careful with the "BCC" field. Sometimes using the BCC is just plain deceitful or unethical. What is worse, blind recipients sometimes hit "reply all," revealing the deception. You are better off posting the initial message and BCC no one. Then forward your sent message to others with a brief explanation.
4. Stop robotically forwarding forwards of forwarded emails. Unless your reader needs to know the entire history of an issue, cut out the strings of previous messages. Explain the reason you are forwarding. Summarize the discussion to date if you need to: “The customer needs more information about our delivery schedule. Can you send him an updated proposal?” You know what? This would probably fit in the subject line and save a lot of confusion.
5. Proof read for grammar and spelling. Yes, I know, with the advent of texting and intuitive keyboards like iPhone , people quit caring about spelling. But it looks unprofessional and creates confusion, not to mention bad impressions. The more important the email, the greater the urgency for proofreading becomes.
6. It is okay to use long emails, just make sure they are well-organized. Emails are still the fastest ways to convey content, but the longer the email, the more important it is to outline the message first, so you will know what to say, how you will say it, and where to say it in the message. If the message is going to be long, begin with some kind of introduction that explains what will be covered and why.
7. The longer the message is, the more important it is to cut the content into short, one-idea paragraphs. Length does not discourage reading; bulk does. By building your message around paragraphs with only 3-4 sentences, preceded and followed by at least one space, your reader will easily notice and understand your main points.
8. Retain the Human touch. Yes, email is utilitarian, and we fire them off with nary a thought. But it is still communication between human beings, so make sure people can tell from your messages that you consider them to be people and not machines. Please and Thank you are always nice. Compliments are never a bad idea. If you only send terse, bullet-pointy emails that consist of instructions and requests for information, people will assume that you are mad at them.
9. Don’t forget, email lasts forever. We send so many messages to so many people every day, and then we delete them and go on. We forget that that that emails remain on a server somewhere forever, and can be accessed as easy-to-forward proof of any error, offense or obfuscation we made. Also, NEVER put anything in an email that you wouldn’t want your whole family or the whole company or your boss or the press to read. Once you hit send, you have no idea where it will end up.
10. Finally, remember that email is not the only way to communicate. Whenever the conversation requires a lot of back and forth to clarify issues, or when you want to convey a truly personal message, it is always better to pick up the phone or drop in for a visit. Email is simply a convenience, and when you rely on it exclusively, you can end up wasting time and creating more confusion that will have to be unraveled later.

Quick Tip of the Month – Create a Not to Do List!

We are all familiar with the value of creating a to do list to help set and manage our priorities. The traditional to do list is the foundation of most time management strategies. But what about a non-traditional list – a NOT to do list? We are taught to set important goals and stick to them, but isn’t also important to define what we won’t do? There is no way to complete our to dos until we define what we will avoid doing. This is called setting boundaries and it is what really makes time management work. If you are really going to get your important goals accomplished, you must be just as firm regarding what you can’t or won’t do as you are about what you intend to get done. From now on, put your “to dos” on one list and your “not to dos” on a separate list, and be very careful not to get those two lists mixed up.
 

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