It’s hard to believe there was once a world with eMail. Working from Home meant we couldn’t talk to colleagues as easily as we used to. Some messaging moved to tools like Teams, and that cut email traffic, but others stayed in eMail and inboxes were flooded.
Do you ever look at your Inbox and wish you could squeeze it down?
It’s not all in your hands? Yes, there are somethings you can do – and we have some training options on the ‘4D’s to overcoming eMail. (Do, Delegate, Defer, Delete) – and don’t treat your inbox as a filing cabinet!
But you can also work with colleagues to make sure the emails you send are clear. Here’s some suggestions:
- Do not put an email recipient’s name into the “to” field, if the message doesn’t explicitly task that person with providing a response or taking action. If you are asking someone to do something then “@mention” them and this will make it stand out in their inbox
- Use the cc field instead to include people who are not required to take action but will be interested parties.
- Only send email when necessary……I receive a fair few that leave me scratching my head and wondering what was that about? And no action was required.
- Keep emails brief – state your purpose and expected outcome up front so that the “wheat can easily be sorted from the chaff” by the reader.
If we reduced the email volume of each of us by 10% each week, what would that do for making more time available?