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Controlling Your E-mail Habits

Posted by: Joan Burge on 5/14/2009

We love it and we hate it; either way, it is a necessity of business. Here’s a summary of the steps you can take to keep e-mail from interrupting your work:

 
·         Turn off your computer’s “you’ve got mail” audio or visual signals.
 
·         Unless you’re expecting something important, check your e-mail only
at certain times.
 
·         Instead of responding to every message as you read it, “cluster” your responses.
 
·         Don’t check e-mail during a meeting.
 
·         If you need to concentrate on something, remove yourself from temptation by working away from your computer or working offline.
 
·         Focus on the specific e-mail you’re responding to or originating.
 
·         Try not to check e-mail just because you’re bored.
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4 Comments

    • May 14 2009, 8:10 AM Tori
    • I also find it helps to create rules and subfolders. When an email arrives, the rule will automatically filter it to the subfolder, instead of having all of the emails piled on top of each other in your regular Inbox. Since we have very limited space on our server, I only have a few subfolders created under my Sent Items; but, the bulk of my subfolders are created under my Archives (about 100). The subfolders created under my Sent Items are for each day of the week. When I need to follow up on something or address an email at a later time, I drag the email to that day of the week. Since I've been doing this, my Inbox and Sent Items are always empty. Everything has been filed in its proper place. Once an email has been completed, it is either archived in the same folder it was directed to by the Rule; or, I drag the weekday email to the corresponding Archive folder.

    • May 14 2009, 10:11 AM taylor
    • I've been using rules and subfolders, but this is another angle that I'm going to try to minimize inbox "clutter". (I still have too many folders!)Thanks!

    • May 19 2009, 12:50 PM Larcanne Allen
    • Could you give an expamle when you should and how to 'cluster' your responses.

    • Jun 02 2009, 11:03 PM Joan Burge
    • Dear Larcanne, One way to cluster is after opening your e-mails, prioritize them by "A" which is must answer within 2 hours; "B" is answer by end of the day' "C" is by tomorrow noon. Then go back and just focus on your A's and so forth. Another way to cluster is to according to the type of responses you will need to write--short and to the point or lengthier. You can also cluster according to the kind of message you will be delivering. I hope this clarifies what I meant.

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