Jesse Wilkins, emm m April 1, 2009 EML01 How to Manage Your Email Better: By Managing Less of It!

THE TECHNIQUES Reducing email usage pt 1:

Reducing email usage pt 1:

Common inbox assumptions All email is important All email requires an immediate response All email should be kept indefinitely

All email is important

All email requires an immediate response

All email should be kept indefinitely

General principles Email management is part of time management Email should not be used for everything Email should be kept as long as needed – and then gotten rid of

Email management is part of time management

Email should not be used for everything

Email should be kept as long as needed – and then gotten rid of

Inbox management model Set up rules for “important” vs. routine messages Consider turning off alerts for incoming messages Make rules about which messages have alerts Define specific times to check email

Set up rules for “important” vs. routine messages

Consider turning off alerts for incoming messages

Make rules about which messages have alerts

Define specific times to check email

Inbox management cont’d Try to touch each message only once Respond to it immediately Respond to it later Declare it as a record Archive it for reference Delete it

Try to touch each message only once

Respond to it immediately

Respond to it later

Declare it as a record

Archive it for reference

Delete it

Reducing received emails Lots of email traffic is stuff we ask for! “ Bacn” Some is internal, but unnecessary “ Colleague spam” Ask others not to send it if you don’t need it

Lots of email traffic is stuff we ask for!

“ Bacn”

Some is internal, but unnecessary

“ Colleague spam”

Ask others not to send it if you don’t need it

Reducing sent emails Do you really have to reply? Don’t send “Me too” messages Use other tools for collaboration About staying “ off the record”…

Do you really have to reply?

Don’t send “Me too” messages

Use other tools

for collaboration

About staying

“ off the record”…

Cc: and Bcc: Can be useful, but often overused Perceived to provide accountability Better practice: use them only when really needed Especially BCC: as these are harder to track

Can be useful, but often overused

Perceived to provide accountability

Better practice: use them only when really needed

Especially BCC: as these are harder to track

Effective email usage – addressees Verify addressee(s) When replying, reply only to those who need a response Remove those who don’t Watch responses to groups, lists Reply-to vs. reply-all

Verify addressee(s)

When replying, reply only to those who need a response

Remove those who don’t

Watch responses to groups, lists

Reply-to vs. reply-all

Effective email usage – subject line Use a subject line Use correct subject line for topic being discussed Use subject lines that are informative

Use a subject line

Use correct subject line for topic being discussed

Use subject lines that are informative

Effective email usage – subject line Identify whether response is required Consider using subject line as content Don’t declare privilege

Identify whether response is required

Consider using subject line as content

Don’t declare privilege

Effective email usage - body Use professional tone in messages Threading: Message vs. response Don’t write essays where notes will do

Use professional tone in messages

Threading: Message vs. response

Don’t write essays where notes will do

Effective email usage - attachments Consider the file size of the attachment to be sent Consider the file type to be sent Security filtering Multimedia formats

Consider the file size of the attachment to be sent

Consider the file type to be sent

Security filtering

Multimedia formats

Effective email usage - attachments Can the recipient receive attachments? Send attachments only to users that truly need them Send links instead of attachments

Can the recipient receive

attachments?

Send attachments only to users that truly need them

Send links instead of attachments

THE TOOLS Reducing email usage pt 2:

Reducing email usage pt 2:

Alternatives to email Email isn’t the best tool to collaborate Other more effective tools available Instant messaging Blogs RSS feeds Wikis Using these tools can reduce email usage and increase productivity

Email isn’t the best tool to collaborate

Other more effective tools available

Instant messaging

Blogs

RSS feeds

Wikis

Using these tools can reduce email usage and increase productivity

What is instant messaging? Communication between users in real time over the Internet Most often one-to-one; some clients support group chat Indicate presence and status Send and receive messages Manage contacts (“buddy lists”)

Communication between users

in real time over the Internet

Most often one-to-one; some

clients support group chat

Indicate presence and status

Send and receive messages

Manage contacts (“buddy lists”)

Instant messaging vs. email Many unnecessary emails are sent “ Did you get that file I sent?” “ What’s for lunch?” IM can be used instead Targeted communications rather than “colleage spam” For transitory or ephemeral communications To indicate presence status Where real time responses required

Many unnecessary emails are sent

“ Did you get that file I sent?”

“ What’s for lunch?”

IM can be used instead

Targeted communications rather than “colleage spam”

For transitory or ephemeral communications

To indicate presence status

Where real time responses required

What is a blog? Simple web publishing platform Started as online diaries Users create posts Posts listed newest at the top Often used as lightweight content mgmt system

Simple web publishing platform

Started as online diaries

Users create posts

Posts listed newest at the top

Often used as lightweight

content mgmt system

Blogs vs. email Use blogs instead of email to send one-way communications Project updates Meeting announcements Availability of new resources

Use blogs instead of email to send one-way communications

Project updates

Meeting announcements

Availability of new resources

What is an RSS feed? Specially formatted XML file Used to send information from a website Users subscribe to the RSS feed with a reader Changes are pushed out to the user automatically

Specially formatted XML file

Used to send information from a website

Users subscribe to the

RSS feed with a reader

Changes are pushed out

to the user automatically

RSS feeds vs. email Blogs and wikis support RSS Instead of sending email blasts, post updates to a blog Updates show up in the reader No updates, no need to send Users can get updates when convenient

Blogs and wikis support RSS

Instead of sending email blasts, post updates to a blog

Updates show up in the reader

No updates, no need to send

Users can get updates when convenient

What is a wiki? Collaborative website Wikipedia: More than 10 million articles Users create and edit articles Changes tracked automatically

Collaborative website

Wikipedia: More than

10 million articles

Users create and edit articles

Changes tracked automatically

Wikis vs. email Create an article for the document Give users access to document Users make changes directly Users leave questions, comments Editor oversees, does cleanup Document published at the end of the process

Create an article for the document

Give users access to document

Users make changes directly

Users leave questions, comments

Editor oversees, does cleanup

Document published at the end

of the process

Summary Everyone is swamped with email There are things we can do to reduce the amount of email we send and receive Less email means less to manage More effective use of email helps, too

Everyone is swamped with email

There are things we can do to reduce the amount of email we send and receive

Less email means less to manage

More effective use of email helps, too

Questions?

For more information Jesse Wilkins, emmm, ecmm, ermm, CDIA+, LIT Principal Consultant Access Sciences Corporation [email_address] Blog: http://informata.blogspot.com Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/jessewilkins

Jesse Wilkins, emmm, ecmm, ermm, CDIA+, LIT

Principal Consultant

Access Sciences Corporation

[email_address]

Blog: http://informata.blogspot.com

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/jessewilkins