Blogs

Showing items tagged with "empty inbox" - 13 found.

A good time to declare email bankcruptcy

Posted Thursday August 7th, 2014, 4:58 pm by

Email bankruptcy is a good way to reduce the post holiday email overload. Here are some reason why you should declare email bankruptcy and how to do it politely.

Now that we play with our smart phones and associated devices more than we sleep it seems to me that this might be one reason why many are in desperate need of recharging their batteries properly.  Will you disconnect on your holiday and take a proper break?  Is the fear of returning to the holiday email backlID-100178584og too worrying?

One way to over come this most debilitating illnesses of 21st century business life is to declare email bankruptcy, delete them all and wait for someone to re-contact you about anything either urgent or important.  Mesmo Consultancy’s research shows that at least just under half (46%) of the emails we receive are unnecessary. During the holiday period you can be sure that of the remaining half, at least half are past their sell-by date and about a quarter will be cc’d emails with long threads which you will read and be non the wiser.

Tell colleagues that you have declared email bankruptcy and to re-send anything they think you should see.  Indeed this is what many savvy executives put in their Out of Office message.  The result, just a few key emails and an otherwise empty inbox.

This is a summary of a longer post which appeared on the HuffingtonPost.com

 

Tags: , , , ,

Read this post... | Comment on this post

Top tips for an empty inbox

Posted Wednesday February 5th, 2014, 8:58 pm by

Dr Monica Seeley is interviewed by Alan Coote on Let’s talk Business 20 January 2014 about best ways to keep a clean inbox.

Tags: , , ,

Read this post... | Comment on this post

Smart Email Management Goals for 2013

Posted Friday January 4th, 2013, 9:30 am by

Empty Wardrobe – Empty Inbox

2012 saw the volume for email traffic rise by at least 10% and certainly my inbox is starting to bulge again.  Email overload is rising (and hence email stress its direct descendant).  Do I declare inbox bankruptcy like so many before me.  The only trouble is that unlike a bank there is no bale out if I lose  a valuable email.  Yesterday I  spent four hours clearing out my sent items and lots of old folders.  It felt just like clearing out the wardrobe of all those old clothes which one hangs onto just in case either they come back into fashion or you lose some weight so once more you can get into those skinny fit jeans!

In the case of the inbox it was old projects and possible joint ventures which had long since past their sell by date.

As a result here are my top tips and indeed my own goals for limiting the effects of email overload and email induced stress.

  1. Write like a man – shorten my emails by 10 to 20%.
  2. Reduce the number of time I check my inbox by 20% (to about five times a day).
  3. Stop feeling I must reply to every email out of courtesy – after all I don’t reply to all my phone messages and especially those which are sales calls.
  4. Have at least one ‘No Email Day’ every quarter.
  5. Use a file sharing system like Dropbox for sending large attachments.

What are your goals and plans for 2013 to help you save time and unchain yourself from the inbox?

Do you need some help slimming down your inbox for 2013?   Call us and we can discuss how our Brilliant Email Management workshops and coaching can help you and your business.   Alternatively, subscribe to our free monthly   e-briefing.

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Read this post... | Comment on this post

Reducing email overload after the holiday – seven step plan

Posted Thursday August 30th, 2012, 9:25 am by

As you trawl through your inbox on returning from leave are you wasting time sending unnecessary emails?  Mimecast found that only one in four emails is really necessary.  A recent Mesmo Consultancy survey found that senior executives felt that on average 44% of the emails they receive are not needed.

You return from leave to a severe attack of email overload as your inbox is overflowing.  The temptation to scan the inbox and fire off a few replies will be hard to resist.  Now you have little or no chance of creating an empty inbox as the chain mail syndrome kicks in.  Here is a seven point plan to help you clear your inbox quickly and take some steps to reducing not only the holiday email overload but move towards inbox zero.

Seven steps to reducing holiday email overload
Seven steps to reducing holiday email overload

The result – no email overload and you should reached inbox zero by reducing the rounds of unnecessary email ping-pong. Now you have time to turn your attention to other important tasks.

Do you have any tips to share about dealing with the holiday email overload backlog?

Tags: , ,

Read this post... | Comment on this post

Empty inbox before going on leave – the 4Ds

Posted Monday August 13th, 2012, 12:53 pm by

Starting with an empty inbox before going on leave is an excellent way to reduce email overload.  Using the 4 Ds principle, set aside a few hours to clear out your inbox.

Handle each email once and use the simple 4Ds to help you decide what to do with it:

Inbox Zero
  • DEAL with it – respond here and now. If it doesn’t require further action move it to a folder.
  • DELETE it – it’s old and past its sell-by-date and of no real value either to you or your business.
  • DELEGATE – pass it to someone either to action on your behalf or prepare a response for you.
  • DEFER – you cannot deal with it now but it does need action.  Tell the recipient when it will be actioned and place it in a folder for action on your return.

The key is simply to make sure you don’t just leave emails lying unmarked and open in the inbox and relying on your memory to remember what needs attention.

More in the next blog on creating an empty inbox and reducing the email overload before taking leave.

For more daily tips and hints on reducing email overload follow me on Twitter as the ‘EmailDoctor’ or check out how Mesmo Consultancy can help you with our tried and tested workshops.

Tags: , ,

Read this post... | Comment on this post