how to manage email & information overload

How to ManageE-mail Overload (and triple your productivity)

Steuart Snooks

CEO

www.emailtiger.com.au

Pace of Information Overload

Solutions for Success 2012 www.emailtiger.com.au

Effects of E-mail Overload


What can we

do about it?do about it?


Steuart Snooks

www.emailtiger.com.auEm

ail S

trate

gis

t

3 Keys to Manage

E-mail Overload

© Solutions for Success 2012See our website for more ideas on mastering

email at www.emailtiger.com.au

1. Decrease frequency

The Three Steps . . .

• Schedule times to check

e-mail (rather than e-mail (rather than

react as they arrive)


Eliminate E-mail ‘as an interruption’


Multi-tasking

As a result of constant interruptions, do you find that you start to multi-task?

Do you often have 2 or 3


Do you often have 2 or 3files open on your desk?

Does your computer oftenhave 4 or 5 windows (ormore) open at once?

Multi-tasking

Author Maggie Jackson warns that . . .

"Relying on multitasking as a way of life, we chop up


as a way of life, we chop up our opportunities and abilities to make big-picture sense of the world and pursue our long-term goals“

"Distracted: The Erosion of Attention and the Coming Dark Age."

Single task email rather than ‘multi-task’


Best times to check e-mail?

1: _____________________

2: _____________________ 2: _____________________

3: _____________________

4: _____________________





e-mail (rather than e-mail (rather than

recatas they arrive)

• Turn off all e-mail alerts


Turn off ALL e-mail alerts





e-mail (rather than be e-mail (rather than be

interrupted)

• Turn off e-mail alerts

• Manage expectations


Quality

The Customer Service Interaction

TimeValue


Manage Expectations


3 Keys to Manage

E-mail Overload

Schedule times to check email

Steuart Snooks


ail S

trate

gis

t

3: Increase speed

1: Decrease frequency

Schedule times to check email (rather than react as they arrive)

Turn off all email alerts

Manage expectations

Choose to be ‘selectively ignorant’





2. Reduce volume

• Choose to be

‘selectively ignorant’‘selectively ignorant’


“What information consumes is rather obvious: it consumes the attention of its recipients.

Hence, a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention and a creates a poverty of attention and a need to allocate that attention efficiently among the overabundance of information sources that might consume it.”

Herbert Simon, Recipient of Nobel Memorial Prize in Economicsand the A.M. Turing Award, the “Nobel Prize of Computer Science”


“There are many things of which a wise man might choose to be ignorant.”choose to be ignorant.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson




2. Reduce volume

• Choose to be


• Use rules to automate

processes


Use rules to automate processes


• All staff

• Newsletters/ezines

• Personal


• Personal

• _______

• _______




2. Reduce volume

• Choose to be


• Use rules to automate

processes

• Clarify expectations &

parameters with others


No question

No reply

• Send a one-off

Establish

thresholds

• Allows for

Use if/then

instructions

• Prevents follow up

Clarify expectations and parameters

• Send a one-off

notification

• Add as PS to

signature

• Reduces

unnecessary email

• Allows for

independent

decision-making

• Reduces back ‘n

forth emails

• Prevents follow up

questions

• Speeds up decision-

making

• Reduce back n’

forth emails


Schedule times to check email Handle each email only

Steuart Snooks


ail S

trate

gis

t

2: Reduce volume


3 Keys to Manage

E-mail Overload



Manage expectations


Clarify expectations and



Handle each email only once





2. Reduce volume

3. Increase speed

• Handle each email

ONLY ONCE – use the ONLY ONCE – use the

proven 4D method


1. DITCH / DELETE

2. DEAL

3. DELEGATE

Use the 4D methodology

4. DECIDE

• WHERE - File (Move to a Folder / File along with)

• WHEN - Convert to a Task or Calendar item

• WAIT - Add to a Watch List (pending reply)




2. Reduce volume

3. Increase speed


ONLY ONCE – use the



proven 4D method

• File e-mail quickly

1: Separate ‘finished’ work from ‘unfinished’ work

File Email Quickly

Outlook 2007 Outlook 2010

‘unfinished’ work

2: Create 4 or 5 ‘primary’ folders




2. Reduce volume

3. Increase speed





proven 4D method

• File e-mail quickly

• Write more effective

e-mail messages

7 Ways to Write More Effective E-mail

1: Think first – is e-mail the best way for this message/person

2: Communicating in the Age of Speed

3: What is Your Desired Outcome?

4: How to Write Better Subject Lines

5: Automate Your Follow up

6: Why the Inverted Pyramid Structure works best

7: Why You Write an E-mail Backwards

Tim

e n

ee

d t

o c

om

mu

nic

ate

De

gre

e/d

ep

th o

f u

nd

ers

tan

din

g

Media richness framework (based on a theory by Daft & Lengel)

Tim

e n

ee

d t

o c

om

mu

nic

ate

De

gre

e/d

ep

th o

f u

nd

ers

tan

din

g

Greater context or richness

Asynchronous

Synchronous

Digital

Auditory

Visual


Action required:

Response requested:

Identify your desired outcome

Response requested:

Read only:

FYI:

Action required:

Response requested:

Deadline

When


Response requested:

Read only:

FYI:

When

Due by

Before

To

To

Action required:

Response requested:

Deadline

When


To

cc

cc

Response requested:

Read only:

FYI:

When

Due by

Before


The 3 Steps to Manage E-mail Overload (and triple your productivity)


2. Reduce volume

3. Increase speed


Schedule times to check email Handle each email only

Steuart Snooks


ail S

trate

gis

t

3: Increase speed

2: Reduce volume


3 Keys to Manage

E-mail Overload



Manage expectations


Clarify expectations and



Handle each email only once – use 4D method

File e-mail quickly

Write more effective e-mail messages



Stay in touch and up-to-date

www.emai l t iger.com.au

Steuart G. SnooksEmail Strategist & Expert

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How to ManageE-mail Overload (and triple your productivity)

Steuart Snooks

CEO

www.emailtiger.com.au

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