Comments on: Unloading the E-Mail Overload http://www.joemanna.com/blog/unloading-the-e-mail-overload/ Tech News, Social Media & Politics From a Geek Wed, 07 Jan 2009 20:13:53 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7 hourly 1 By: Henry Lewkowicz http://www.joemanna.com/blog/unloading-the-e-mail-overload/comment-page-1/#comment-43283 Henry Lewkowicz Mon, 07 Apr 2008 13:54:43 +0000 http://www.joemanna.com/blog/?p=503#comment-43283 Personally to effectively cope with the incoming streams of information I’m using my summarization application. At a click of a button I get to see the <b>essential keywords and the most important sentences</b>. Over period of time I found that looking at the instant information capsules gives me quite useful insight and saves me a lot of time. If you would like to try out summarization this is the product link: <b><a href="http://www.contextdiscovery.com/" rel="nofollow">Context Organizer</a></b> from <a href="http://www.contextdiscovery.com/" rel="nofollow">Context Discovery Inc</a> Personally to effectively cope with the incoming streams of information I’m using my summarization application. At a click of a button I get to see the essential keywords and the most important sentences. Over period of time I found that looking at the instant information capsules gives me quite useful insight and saves me a lot of time. If you would like to try out summarization this is the product link: Context Organizer from Context Discovery Inc

]]> By: S.P. Gass http://www.joemanna.com/blog/unloading-the-e-mail-overload/comment-page-1/#comment-43280 S.P. Gass Mon, 07 Apr 2008 00:12:46 +0000 http://www.joemanna.com/blog/?p=503#comment-43280 Actually, I scheduled the post to appear tomorrow evening (Apr 7th). Actually, I scheduled the post to appear tomorrow evening (Apr 7th).

]]> By: S.P. Gass http://www.joemanna.com/blog/unloading-the-e-mail-overload/comment-page-1/#comment-43279 S.P. Gass Sun, 06 Apr 2008 23:52:09 +0000 http://www.joemanna.com/blog/?p=503#comment-43279 Nice post. I linked to it from my blog covering hi-tech addictions, etc. Nice post. I linked to it from my blog covering hi-tech addictions, etc.

]]> By: Joe http://www.joemanna.com/blog/unloading-the-e-mail-overload/comment-page-1/#comment-43276 Joe Fri, 04 Apr 2008 19:22:59 +0000 http://www.joemanna.com/blog/?p=503#comment-43276 Very good advice, JW! How do you generally approach someone on their bad e-mail habits? Any suggestions? ~J Very good advice, JW!

How do you generally approach someone on their bad e-mail habits? Any suggestions?

~J

]]> By: Junkyard Willie http://www.joemanna.com/blog/unloading-the-e-mail-overload/comment-page-1/#comment-43272 Junkyard Willie Fri, 04 Apr 2008 09:00:21 +0000 http://www.joemanna.com/blog/?p=503#comment-43272 Budgeting email time is critical. Put it on your schedule and stick to it- when it's admin time, you need to pull away and take care of email. And when it isn't admin time, don't even open the client, which means when that block is over, save whichever one you're working on as a draft and close the client. It's easy to nickel and dime yourself out of a lot of time by "just responding to one more email." This goes double if you have employees of your own- when they're in their email, they're not doing whatever it is you're paying them to do. As a corollary, leave work at work. Your time off is for spending with your loved ones, exercising, relaxing, or any of a thousand other things- the email will be there when it's time to go back to work. Work-life balance is a key to a good life, when the balance is thrown off, there are a lot of negative effects on you that can cumulatively cause big problems, like hypertension, obesity, and mental health issues. When you're on your deathbed, you might look back and say you wished you spent more time with your kids; but you certainly won't say you wished you had spent more time checking your work email from home. When you write email, be professional but also be genuine, succinct, and direct. Put away that dictionary of business English. Leave out bullshit buzzwords, jargon, and passive voice- you might think it makes you seem intelligent but your coworkers will think you're a douchebag. Keep it polite, concise, and to the point. Double-checking the address you're sending it to takes a fraction of a second and prevents embarrassing mishaps. That half-second could keep you out of HR, or it could keep you your job. If you wouldn't say it to your grandma, don't write it in an email. Unless you're talking about my grandma, in which case ask yourself what she would say and then say the exact opposite; that should keep you out of HR. Budgeting email time is critical. Put it on your schedule and stick to it- when it’s admin time, you need to pull away and take care of email. And when it isn’t admin time, don’t even open the client, which means when that block is over, save whichever one you’re working on as a draft and close the client. It’s easy to nickel and dime yourself out of a lot of time by “just responding to one more email.” This goes double if you have employees of your own- when they’re in their email, they’re not doing whatever it is you’re paying them to do.

As a corollary, leave work at work. Your time off is for spending with your loved ones, exercising, relaxing, or any of a thousand other things- the email will be there when it’s time to go back to work. Work-life balance is a key to a good life, when the balance is thrown off, there are a lot of negative effects on you that can cumulatively cause big problems, like hypertension, obesity, and mental health issues. When you’re on your deathbed, you might look back and say you wished you spent more time with your kids; but you certainly won’t say you wished you had spent more time checking your work email from home.

When you write email, be professional but also be genuine, succinct, and direct. Put away that dictionary of business English. Leave out bullshit buzzwords, jargon, and passive voice- you might think it makes you seem intelligent but your coworkers will think you’re a douchebag. Keep it polite, concise, and to the point.

Double-checking the address you’re sending it to takes a fraction of a second and prevents embarrassing mishaps. That half-second could keep you out of HR, or it could keep you your job.

If you wouldn’t say it to your grandma, don’t write it in an email. Unless you’re talking about my grandma, in which case ask yourself what she would say and then say the exact opposite; that should keep you out of HR.

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