Email is now the bane our existence: necessary, but overwhelming. There are ways to keep email in its place, be productive, and minimize stress. This presentation shows you: * Why our brains were not equipped to deal with a constant stream of emails * How to process emails in a way that doesn’t mess up your hypersensitive “cognitive machinery.” * How to filter unproductive emails automatically (without spending even one minute setting up filters or fooling with technology). * How to spot emails sent by hackers who are waiting for you to click a booby-trapped link so they can get complete control of your computer and all of your data. * How to crank out responses to emails 300% faster than you’re used to.

1. Email Efficiency
PaperlessChase

2. Speaker
ABA TechShow - Chicago
Florida Solo & Small Conf
Missouri Bar Solo & Small Conf
Indiana Solo & Small Conf
Clio, MyCase, ARMA, LSBA
Author
Blogging for Lawyers (ABA)
Acrobat in One Hour (ABA)
PDF Essentials for Lawyers
Nuance PowerPDF Essentials
Websites
PaperlessChase.com
LawFirmAutopilot.com
ErnieTheAttorney.net

3. At first, email brought JOY!
(AOL Circa 1993)

5. But today we feel different

6. Why has it been SO hard?

7. Agenda:Topics covered
Why email became a
problem
What techies know about
email that lawyers SHOULD
know…
Some powerful solutions

8. SmallFirmBootcamp.com/speech
SmallFirmBootcamp

9. 1.
Why Email Is a Problem

10. The average professional
gets about 125 emails/day
(Not including Spam)

11. Radical Advice?

12. Not really, it seems…

13. It’s popular advice now…
Nick Bilton deleted 46,315
unread emails and declared
email bankruptcy

15. Why does email overwhelm us?
• Email system not designed for the
way we are using it
• Too easy to send someone an email
• Email is now our “inbox,” and anyone
can put something into it
• Email is delivered to our smartphones
• We feel obligated to reply quickly

16. Plus the “dopamine” problem
Dopamine

17. Fear of missing out…

18. Killing our productivity

19. 2.
What Techies Know

20. Meet an Uber Techie
Chris Shultz efficiently processes
300+ Emails a Day

21. Here’s an idea…
Let’s model Chris Shultz’s approach

22. 3.
Solutions

23. “Uber Techie” Principles
• Touch it once (or possibly even not at
all)
• Process quickly using the “Two-
Minute Rule”
• Tasks don’t belong in your email (so
don’t leave them there)
• Use the “Getting Things Done”
System if possible

24. Overview of Solutions
Systematize Automate Outsource

25. Systems

26. Scan, Block, Ask
Scan: inbox in the morning looking for urgent items, and
important items. Take care of those first then close your
inbox and other productive work.
Block: out regular chunks of time each day to process
email. Perhaps two 30 minute periods: one before lunch,
and one at 4 pm. Sick to that routine every day.
Ask: yourself, if you get sucked into “doing email,” is this
the best use of my time right now?.

27. Priority Assessment
Urgent/Important: deal with right away, as soon as you
read them. (e.g. emails from boss or client, or from those
with whom you have an ongoing email exchange).
Non-Urgent/Important: when you have time. (e.g. emails
from people you’ve never dealt with yet, except potential
new clients—obviously).
Unimportant: immediately archive, or delete in bulk. (e.g.
flight reservations, newsletters, confirmation notices)
! !
!
x

28. Getting Things Done

29. Deferring Action
Swipe right to archiveSwipe left to defer

30. Microsoft Outlook
App for iPhone
Inbox Calendar Files

31. Personal: where you get non-business email. Okay
to use Yahoo, MSN, Gmail, CompuServe, AT&T, etc.
Business: strictly business-related. Have a domain
you control (i.e. “@YourDomainName”). Cost = $10/
year
Managing 2 Accounts: is not that hard, once you
set things up properly. Better than using 1 account
for everything.
Email Accounts

32. POP3: used by AOL, Yahoo, MSN, AT&T, etc.
Old technology, not suitable for business
accounts
IMAP: easy, reliable synchronization across
all devices, which is why you need your
business account to have this. Google Apps
(or even free gmail) is IMAP-base
POP vs. IMAP

33. Cloud-based: servers run by highly-paid brainiacs,
who know more about security than you or anyone
you could ever hire would know.
Uptime: guaranteed 99.97% uptime. (no need to
call to tell them if the servers go down—even on
weekends)
Secure: watch the Google video that demonstrates
how they handle security & disaster recovery
Google Apps

34. Turn off notifications

35. Guard Your Password!!!

36. No Images in Signature

37. Ernest Svenson
Tel: 504.202.0688

38. Ernest Svenson1.
Tel: 504.202.06882.
ernie@paperlesschase.com3.
Put Key Information
In Email Signture

39. Hey Bob:
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. In sagittis
ullamcorper risus. Ut gravida odio sit amet nulla. Mauris vulputate.
Please review the contract and get me your revisions by next
Thursday, June 19th by 5 pm at the latest.
Thanks,
Ernie
Bold Key Phrases

40. Subject: Following up
Subject: Re: Johnson case depos
Subject: Proposed dates for Johnson
case depos: Please reply by June 19th
Use Good Subject Lines

41. • No open-ended questions
• Don’t “bury the lede”
• Don’t cc people unless truly
necessary (avoid if possible)
• Always check if you’ve been
bcc’d before using “Reply All”
Other Keys

42. Kenneth Roman & Joel Raphelson

43. Total Workday Control:
- Michael Linenberger

44. Automation

45. Email Filters
Good: You set up folders and then “rules” that auto-
sort email into designated folders.
Better: You use an algorithm that “intelligently” figures
out which emails to filter and puts them in those
folders, but learns your preferences dynamically
Best: another smart human (not you!) filters your emails
to ensure that nothing important drops between the
cracks and gets neglected.

46. Better Filtering (i.e. “Intelligent”)

47. bit.ly/SignUpSaneBox

48. How it works…
- examines subject line
- examines contacts
- moves unimportant emails
- puts in “sane later” folder
- reminds you to review at 4pm
- learns your preferences

49. costs…
$7/month
bit.ly/SignUpSaneBox

50. Better Scheduling

52. MUCH Better Scheduling
{

53. Automate Contacts

54. how it works…
- examines sender’s email signature
- pulls contact information
- updates your address book
- always checking email sig.
- updates contact record with any
new information

55. works on…

56. Outsourcing

58. Meet My VA
Jheri Scott
I handle Ernie’s business
Email and he doesn’t
have to worry anymore.

59. For More Information
bit.ly/BelayVA

60. Summary

61. • Create systems for handling
email
• Don’t use your inbox as a task
managing tool
• Automate as much as possible
• Delegate the rest to an assistant
Key Takeaways

62. Visit SmallFirmBootcamp.com

63. Visit SmallFirmBootcamp.com

64. SmallFirmBootcamp.com/speech

65. SmallFirmBootcamp.com/speech
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