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| Junk Mail Pile |
Are you are getting too many
electronic mail (email) messages to read or interoffice memos coming across the
desk too often? Are you experiencing
information overload, then you need to find a way to reduce
correspondence. Reduce unnecessary information
overload.
Get off lists. If you are on memos or emails as a "Copy To" for information
only and you know you can do without seeing everything related to the subject,
ask to be taken off the list or only notified where an action on your part is
necessary.
Schedule your time. Instead of reading and
responding to all your correspondence when one comes in, plan specified times
during the day for responses. Try first
thing in the morning, before lunch, and/or before leaving for the day to see
what works for you.
Save if important. If you need to file any
correspondence manually or electronically for future reference, you should file
it by subject or project for easy retrieval.
Most email systems allow for creation of on-line folders where important
emails may move to for saving. Some email
systems also may be set-up to move items into folders automatically based upon
subject or can have reminder prompts set for when an email response or action
is due.
Trash if not important. Emails or interoffice memos
that do require your action or have information not pertinent to your responsibilities
should be read and trashed immediately.
Keeping unnecessary information only clutters your files and inbox, which
results in wasted time later re-reading when trying to clean out later.
Be concise. When you are sending memos
or email to others, keep text concise and to the point. Be sure when you are replying that your replies
are only sent to the sender or includes only those others that need the
information. In other words, do not “Copy
All” or “Reply All”.
Provide optional details. When you
are sending emails and memos insert hyperlinks (URL) and attachments if more
detail may be necessary for readers to follow through. Utilizing sources outside of your text is a
great way to share documents and information without having to type data into
an email or memo. If you are software when
sending large documents or graphic files, consider using zip files as email
attachments. Zipping a file will
compress the file size and make the item upload and download faster.
Keep contact information. It is wise for
you to have a contact database on your computer to avoid having to keep files
or a paper address book for this data. Most
email tools come with a contact database where you can enter email addresses,
phone numbers, and other contact data. To
save time in the future, most email tools allow for clicking on the email address
to start a new email to the contact.
Some also allow clicking on the contact’s phone number to have the
computer place a call.
Build groups. Many email tools have the ability to set up group addresses with an ID
you create. This saves time as you can
set up the ID to send an email to multiple addresses without having to find
each person in your contacts. For printed interoffice memos, consider
making a routing sheet including names of team or committee members who
typically need to see the same information.
For
more ideas, see the articles below.
Email
