E-mail has revolutionised how we communicate. It’s fast across any distance and it’s not confined to words – you can send documents, images, even sounds with your written message.
But what about the pain? Recent research and television documentaries have drawn attention to the effect e-mail is having on the UK workforce.
Continually checking the Inbox, distracted whenever new e-mail arrives, stressed out by an overflowing Inbox that seems unmanageable, bombarded by spam. What’s the pain release?
A few simple steps: firstly, turn off the new e-mail alert so that you decide when to check e-mails. That could mean two or three times a day – soon after arrival at work, before lunch, an hour before leaving. Even if your job means more frequent checking, every two hours should suffice. That way you control e-mail – not e-mail controlling and disrupting you.
Secondly, empty that overflowing Inbox. Move all the e-mails into an ‘Old email’ folder and then go through them in batches. Half an hour each day of concentrated effort will empty the overflow and relieve that stress and strain.
Thirdly, follow a simple rule to manage new e-mails. 3D works well:
Delete – rubbish, irrelevant, out-of-date
Deal – only if it takes 2 minutes to read it, act on it by delegating or forwarding it
Delay – set up A #Pending folder where you put those e-mails that do require thought and/or time to deal with properly and schedule time to go through them. A #Pending folder means it goes to the top of your folder list.
Finally, learn how to use your e-mail program better. You can integrate Mail with Calendar and Tasks. That way e-mails and their attachments can be saved with the Calendar or Task reminder and you don’t need to search far and wide – “I know I had that e-mail somewhere…” Set up a proper e-mail folder system which reflects other filing systems you use for documents. Learn about Rules so that e-mails from particular people or about certain subjects get automatically filed in the right folder.
If you want more help, try www.emailhelpdesk.co.uk