This morning I was driving to deliver a class and was thinking about the reasons people come to the Getting the EDGE Workshop. Getting more organized, managing their projects and tasks, better work/life balance and becoming more productive are certainly big ones. The number one reason folks show up is to get a better handle on the avalanche of email that shows up everyday at work.
We do a really good job in the workshop of teaching folks the 4 Ds (Dump it, Do it if you can do it in two minutes or less, Delegate it or Defer it) to use when processing their in boxes. We also teach excellent tips on how to stop checking their in boxes all day long and to set aside time to process in-boxes to empty. So, we are helping them deal with e-mail really well.
But one thing people really want to know is; : What can they do to get less email? Is it even possible? We all know the best way to get less email is to send less, but what else can we do?
Something I have started doing in class is having folks tell me good practices they have heard are for getting less email. There have been some really good ideas and I am hoping this article will stimulate you to add to this list! Some of the things I have heard:
- Get off any distribution lists you don’t need to be on. Put magazines as favorites in your browser and proactively read the articles online.
- At the end of the subject line or the email type “No reply necessary or no thanks needed” - We all know the emails that read like: Thanks – Your welcome – Great – Don’t mention it, etc.
- Let people know that you only process your email at certain times of the day and that you will reply to them at that time. Ask them to contact you by phone or text if they really need you! (Don’t give your number to everyone).
- Set your email to come in once every hour or half hour rather than on constantly.
Some of these may work for you and some may not. Let me know what other ideas you have heard so I can share them with the people who come to Getting the EDGE!
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