THE SIMPLE LIFE
Tips for Efficient Email
T
here are many ways we communicate in the world today. Text, phone, snail mail, email, Skype, social media, and – losing popularity, but still hanging in there – is face-to-face live conversation. Our grandparents called this talking. While there are many avenues Lisa Phillips, owner of SimpleWorks, to communicate, email still Simpleworksmtsp.com rules the No. 1 slot for business lisa@simpleworksmtsp.com communication. By thinking of 205.981.7733 email as electronic paper, you are able to use some of the same principles of physical paper organization when dealing with the onset of a full inbox. remove unnecessary icons. This makes unnecessary visual clutter and fights for your attention from what you should be focusing on. Turn off incoming email alerts. Constant “dinging” interrupts your concentration, which breaks down your productivity. Check three-five times daily. Checking your email is more efficient when done in blocks of time versus answering immediately. first complete crucial tasks. Email can put chaos into your schedule. First things first. make concise subject lines. Both for the receiver and for filing. Create folders. Create consistent labeling with categories, then subcategories. This should correspond with paper files. Then minimize the folders to keep a cleaner and simpler “filing cabinet.” delete immediately. One hundred and fifty new messages since lunch. Really? When checking your inbox, quickly scan the entire inbox and first delete what is not relevant. This leaves you with a manageable workload. opt-off mailing lists. Make the extra “click” to remove yourself from unwanted mailing lists. let others know when you normally respond. This keeps others from hunting you down with phone calls and texts to “see if you got my message.” purge once a month. Just like with paper, you need to empty the trash can. Email is a great tool when used with these things in mind ... a nightmare if you let it use you! It’s that simple.l
Checking your email is more efficient when done in blocks of time versus answering immediatley.
May 2013 | 7