These are just suggestions that have worked for me or for the people I have coached. I don’t recommend them, only recommend you consider them. Your world may have all sorts of codes of conduct that mean some of these are too hasty, reckless or simply inappropriate. Just consider those that are the easy step for you and stop complaining.
These 10 are above the obvious few (switch off ‘auto-notifiers’ of message received, asking people you know to reduce email, use a junk mail filter, shortening your email content).
1. Stop Using “Reply All” – be ready to apologise to those that feel left out of some loops – explain why you’re doing it
2. Be more Specific in the ‘Subject Bar’ – even if recipients never get to open your email (for their own reasons) or even delete it on sight, they will always view the subject line – be clearer, tell them what you want to do with the content.
3. Deal with mail immediately – respond to it, act on it, read it, whatever. Anything that sits, note the date and delete it in 7 days if you still haven’t got to it.
4. Process email at set times only – if you ‘enjoy’ a high volume of email it has an incredible gnawing power to grab your attention. Attention that is your immense power. Don’t give it away lightly.
5. Ask or search for (then learn) software that helps – there will be several in your company or available on the web to filter
6. Clear your inbox every day – action them, file them, put them in the seven day waiting folder or delete them
7. Set up different email addresses – keep private email away and perhaps set up more than one work address and inform your critical groups of the appropriate email (e.g one for customers, one for your team and one for everything else).
8. Send Less – what do you want to cause, provoke, change, influence? Is email the best option?
9. Don’t reply to every message (with ‘thanks’ or ‘will do’) – people know that email is a volume thing and if they know you they have already made up the reaction they want you or expect you to have. Leave it with them.
10. Unsubscribe to lists that you have not read for more than a month. Stop accumulating unopened mail, you’re storing them somewhere in your head (be it guilt or your very special paranormal ‘to do list’). They’ve served their time and will come back into focus again when you need them.
And if the dragon is still roaring:
11. Delete All – extreme action in extreme cases, evaluate the risk and do it. The important stuff comes around again (you do not have the original copy)
Don’t forget to let those in your team and extended network know what you are doing and to expect your new email dragon slaying strategy to seem different to them as you trial new methods.
Social media (twitter, facebook, LinkedIn, Flickr et al) are transforming the way we communicate. Email will gradually move down the communication preference list and join letters and paper memos as the ‘old way’ we communicated. So even if you do nothing with your current Email Dragon, its flames will soon no longer burn.
Keep it simple and let me know how you get on.
ST