Effective E-mail Management

Every company needs a practical e-mail policy, and each individual needs a practical method to deal with incoming e-mails. If you cannot influence company policy, you can start with your team. Here are the basics:

* Use e-mail for sharing facts and information
* Use e-mail for setting meetings and sending agendas
* Use e-mail for minutes

If you are working on a shared document, aim to set up a central point to keep each copy of the document, rather than mailing it between you. This approach:
a) minimizes the risk of several people making different amendments on different versions of the document
b) reduces the number of versions available
c) reduces the number of e-mails
d) enables you to delete e-mails that simply request you check the shared document

Do not use e-mail to:
* Communicate bad news – do this in person if at all possible
* Give personal feedback - do this face to face
* Give advice – the person receiving the advice may not receive it in the way in which you intended

Use one e-mail for each subject and clearly label the subject line.

If you cannot keep the text to a single screen, use an attached document for the content. You can format the document so that it is relatively easy to read – long e-mails are often misread

Deleting e-mails

- The general rule is ‘be ruthless' . Unless there is real content, or a specific message (an approval of a project for example), bin it.

- Some companies have a policy of no deletions – but requests to join the team for a drink can usually be safely deleted the next day.

Filing e-mails

- Set up a system that works for you. Use the flagging tools if you need to find one e-mail in several contexts.

- File e-mails every day, or at least once a week.

- Aim never to have more than one screen worth of e-mail in your inbox.

- You can use flags to capture the ‘must do something about that' e-mails.

Reduce the incoming flow!

- Remove yourself from as many cc lists as possible

- Ask yourself how much of the incoming mail is useful to you, and ask others to stop sending you material that doesn't add value

- Ask your team to send you a one screen ‘highlights' e-mail rather than attach a detailed document that you don't really need to read

Categorise all e-mail

Ask your team to categorise e-mails along the following lines:

A: an ACTION for the receiver

B: feedback required for sender

C: Important Information

D: FYI

E: Personal

Put the letter at the start of the subject line – it helps everyone decide how/when to deal with your e-mail.

E-mail Management is Part of Time Management

Managing e-mail is about managing time! It's a question of making priorities and using a system to minimize time wasting. If you are struggling with time management, why not look at the special PHONE based TimePower Programme available exclusively from 3C.

Instead of spending a whole day on a course, you and your colleagues join a conference call. It lasts a couple of hours, and you get a fun and efficient run down of the best time management techniques, from managing the phone, email and interruptions to setting goals and balancing priorities. As one of our clients said – ‘ it has to be one of the best uses of time available' !

You also get the full colour workbook, usually reserved for delegates on the 1 day TimePower programme – it's packed with time management hints, prioritising tools and ideas to help you maintain a work-life balance that suits you.

So, take control of your inbox. Agree and share a system that works for you and your team.