News - Archive

Vacation email overload: whether or not to put the inbox on vacation

Inbox vacation

Managing the vacation email overload possess the perennial dilemma of whether or to put your inbox on vacation too.  This article looks at how to reduce the vacation email overload.  it reviews the pros and cons and of having an inbox vacation.  It looks at ways to manage the post vacation email overload.  For example, how to pack your inbox properly so that you don’t drown in an email tsunami on your return.   It shows you how to have a really email free vacation, setting a safe Out of Office Message what to do if you feel you really must log-in whilst away.

Published in Executive Secretary Magazine March 2017

Tags: email free vacation, Inbox vacation, Managing email vacation overload, out of office message

At the mercy of your inbox? How to cope with email overload

Email is over 30 years old and hasn’t changed that much since its inception. But over the years we have been letting it take over our lives. It started out as a basic electronic messaging system, and we now use it to communicate everything – from the simplest to the most complex messages.  This blog reviews some of different approaches to managing email overload and their pros and cons, including inbox zero and the goldfish techniques.

Published in The Guardian November 2017

Tags: Business email management, Business email overload, inbox zero, Mesmo Consultancy

Avoid the Goldfish Syndrome – don’t be distracted by email

Goldfish syndrome

Who has a better attention span, you or a goldfish? Recent research has found that thanks to constant digital interruption our ability to focus has now been reduced to less than that of a goldfish.

Goldfish have an attention span of about nine seconds. Since the turn of the century ours has been reduced from about 12 seconds to eight. Why? Because we allow ourselves to be distracted by new emails and social media alerts. Top tips on how to improve productivity and performance by not being distracted by new emails etc.

Published in Executive Secretary Magazine July 2017

Tags: email distractions, Goldfish syndrome, performance

Managing email attachments to save time

Attachment overload

Email attachments can be the bain of people’s lives. Have you ever sent an email only to receive the response ‘where is the attachment?’ It’s so frustrating – especially when the email goes to ten or more people and they all respond this way! Yet more time wasted.

Many organisations still work with mailbox limits, which can give rise to the stressful situation when your mailbox is full, and you can neither send nor receive emails until you downsize it.

This article provides top tips for managing email attachments in order to save time and reduce business email overload.

Published in Executive Secretary Magazine September 2017

Tags: Attachement best practice, Business email attachment management, Business email overload, improve personal productivity

Out of Office Message Etiquette and Psychology

What does your Out of Office (OOO) message really say about you and your business?  Are you a spend thrift?  Do you give away too much information?  Are you boasting?  How can you get the tone just right?  An article by Rhymer Rigby in the Daily Telegraph which explores these challenges of using the seemingly simple OOO function.