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Does email boost or hinder your performance? It all depends on how you
use it. Email offers us countless ways to save time and be more
productive, but when we go on 'email autopilot'--checking the inbox
repeatedly, typing out messages that should be discussed, copying
people who are only peripherally involved, and other bad habits we've
picked up along the way--email can make us more busy than productive.
The problem with email is when we don't contain it; our field of
attention becomes fragmented. When attention is constantly shifting
over to email, one's ability to focus on work is severely compromised.
The interesting thing is, professionals rarely recognize the degree to
which email hampers performance.
In 2005, a psychiatrist at King's College in London administered IQ
tests to three groups: the first did nothing but perform the IQ test,
the second was distracted by email and ringing phones, and the third
was stoned on marijuana.
Not surprisingly, the first group did better than the other two by an
average of 10 points. The emailers, on the other hand, did worse than
intoxicated people by an average of 6 points. ("Can't Get No
Satisfaction," New York Magazine, Dec. 4, 2006)
Yet, in a recent survey of 320 professionals, 17% check a few times per
hour and 68% check email more or less continually--constantly breaking
their focus on the primary task at hand.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
Thanks to the Blackberry and other portable devices, millions of
people can't go more than five minutes without checking email--and
we're doing it everywhere we go:
* In bed--23%
* In class--12%
* In business meetings--8%
* At the beach or pool--6%
* In the bathroom--4%
* While driving--4%
* In church--1%
There's a very good reason that 'crackberry' was declared the 2006
Word-of-the-Year by Webster's New World College Dictionary. Blackberry
addiction was labelled "similar to drugs" in a recent study by Rutgers
University. (www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/outsourcing-life/)
Eight out of 10 admit using computers or other gadgets at bedtime
and one-third of people make phone calls and send or receive messages
in bed.
One in five check social networking sites such as Facebook, play
computer games or listen to MP3 players. ("When gadgets drive you
apart," Robin Yapp, The Telegraph Group Limited, London 2008)
Are these gadgets improving our productivity and quality of life,
or just keeping us compulsively busy? Many global firms in Zurich don't
allow their bankers to check email more than twice per day. The reason?
The more they check email, the more compelled they feel to send email.
This highlights the unscalable nature of most time management
approaches: striving to do more just produces increasingly more to do.
(http://lifehacker.com/tag/informationoverload/)
In order to streamline your email process and make it as efficient and
effective as possible, here are 13 strategies to consider:
* Turn off the audio alert for your email inbox, and even better,
when you aren't actively emailing, turn off your email program.
* Check email two-four times per day at designated times. Communicate
to those around you that you now check email a couple times a day, and
if something critical arises, they should call you directly.
* For each incoming email, there are only five choices: handle it
immediately; forward/delegate it; file it; flag it for later follow-up;
or delete it. Don't let messages pile up in your inbox or they will be
ignored.
* Address the message to someone if they need to take action; only cc
someone if they need to be aware of the information you're sending.
* Make only one request per email, and discuss one main idea per
paragraph or section. Then specify the response you want (i.e. a phone
call, follow-up or appointment).
* Never leave the subject line blank; use it to quickly inform the
recipient about the message content, level of urgency and response
required. For example, "Info on the XYZ Company deal--please review for
accuracy and reply by 3 p.m. today."
* Remember, email is intended to be short. Consider adopting a three to four sentence standard, plus attachments when necessary.
* Establish a company-wide policy against messages that say, "I got it" or "thanks."
* Establish or circulate your company's retention/deletion policy. How
long should messages be stored? What are the criteria to keep a message?
What are the criteria to delete?
* Create a 'to read later' folder for newsletters, education, and other
low-priority messages. File them when they arrive, then go through them
in batches when time permits.
* Don't write an email when it would be faster to pick up the phone (hint: this is more often that you think).
* Avoid expressing anger or chastising someone in an email; you're
better off talking face-to-face or by phone. That way you can vent and
make an impact without the corrosive effect of written words that can
be read over and over again.
* If a lengthy response is required but you can't answer immediately,
send a reply indicating that you received the message and when you will
respond fully.
Coach Kevin's Challenge: Choose three strategies people waste so much
time and energy in (business and life) that could be better invested in
higher-value activities. If each of us could free up even a half hour a
day by using these ideas, we'd all be a lot better off.
Decide on three steps you will take or changes you will make to
streamline your relationship with email and use it more effectively.
No matter how you decide to optimize email practices in your
company--and I certainly hope you do, because it's a huge opportunity
to improve--the most important point is to be sure everyone is on the
same page. When every team member adheres to higher standards of email
conduct, the amount of time saved collectively can be astonishing.
Kevin Lawrence, Gazelles/Rockefeller Habits Certified Coach &
President SGI Synergy Group Inc. www.CoachKevin.com. Copyright
2005-2009, SGI Synergy Group Inc.
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