Email use is on the rise. Daily, people on all rungs of the corporate ladder, entrepreneurs, and those working from home complain about the number of emails they receive. They tell me how much work it is for them to handle and that just opening up the inbox stresses them out. But, instead of letting excessive amounts of email control you, here are 10 sure-fire ways to manage your email going out to reduce the numbers of email coming in.
1. Be very clear. By making sure that the content of your emails is very understandable, you can avoid people emailing you with questions. Taking a small amount of time on the front end to read through the email you are about to send can go a long way in avoiding a return question.
2. Make the subject line detailed. By including detailed information in the subject lines, your recipients will be able to sort and respond to your message with the right priority. The detailed subject line will also help YOU sort and handle responses.
3. Use only one subject per email. The reality is that most people skim. If you put two requests in one email, there is a strong likelihood that only one of the requests will be responded to. It is more effective to send two emails with different subjects than to incorporate two subjects into one email. This practice is also helpful for people who want to file the messages.
4. Place the main point, assignment, or request in the first two lines of the email. People have a tendency to build up to a conclusion when they write; this tendency makes it very difficult, at times, for readers to figure out what the main issue or request is. By putting your main point in the first two sentences, you can avoid misinterpretations and get readers focused on exactly what you want, right from the get-go.
5. Copy only the people who need to read the message. For every extraneous person copied on an email, you have potential to receive a response. Now you’ve just created more unnecessary email for the both of you!
6. Send less email. While this may seem a no-brainer, email begets email. Sometimes it is better and easier to pick up the phone, or to just not respond.
7. Have a detailed signature line. Make sure that all of your contact information is in the signature line of every email you send. This way, anyone who needs to contact you will not have to email you asking for your address, fax number, etc.
8. Keep emails short. When you send short, easy-to-read messages, people will respond in the same manner and you save incredible amounts of time sorting through your inbox.
9. Avoid controversial or argumentative emailing. When you engage in an emotional discussion via email, the emails will fly. Emotional issues should never be handled by email; a phone call or person-to-person handling of the situation is best, both for the sake of your inbox, and the health of the office dynamic.
10. Purge Purge Purge. People don’t realize that too many megabytes can cripple, slow, or even crash their hard drives. Systematic deletions of out-of-date items, saving emails without large attachments to the hard drive, and purging your sent mail can help you stay ahead of the curve and protect your computer.
While each one of these tools may save only a small amount of time, or may reduce your email total by only a few, collectively, they have potential to enormously help you control the number of the emails you receive. Email is here to stay; the sooner you develop productive habits regarding its use, the more time you will have for what is really important in your life.
For more information, please visit www.InboxDetox.com.
Marsha Egan, CSP, PCC, is CEO of The Egan Group, Inc., Nantucket, MA. An ICF Certified Professional Coach, she is a leading authority on email productivity. She works with companies who want to recover lost time and money due to wasteful email practices. Her recently released book, “Inbox Detox and the Habit of E-Mail Excellence,” is available on Amazon.
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