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Yes, You Can Stay on Top of Email
Last week, one of my friends asked, “How do you get through all of your email. It’s killing me. I just can’t seem to get on top of it.†I know the feeling.
Actually, I get asked this question a lot. Despite all the current technology and software tools available, many people are falling further behind with each passing day. They just can’t seem to keep up with the avalanche of digital messages hitting their inbox.
But it is really possible to get caught up on your email and stay caught up? Yes. I’ve done so for years, even as the demands of my job have increased. I’m not bragging; it’s just a fact. But I should warn you: there is no easy fix. Taking control of your inbox means changing your behavior. You must be willing to make the investment.
But in my opinion, making the investment is well-worth the effort. When you are not on top of your email, you feel out of control. It is like a dripping faucet that gnaws quietly away at your psyche and your self-confidence. It can also torpedo your career, since people tend to associate responsiveness with competence. Therefore, becoming an email ninja is an essential survival skill.
If I had to boil it all down to four behaviors, I would recommend the following:
Don’t get bogged down, keep moving. The key is that once you start processing your inbox, you must move quickly. Read each message once and answer this question: “Is this message actionable?†In other words, “Am I being asked to do something?†If so, there are only three possible actions:
Delegate—pass the task along to someone else. I’m not talking about “passing the buck.†But oftentimes someone else is better equipped to fulfill the sender’s request. Dawson Trotman once said, “I purposed never to do anything others could or would do when there was so much of importance to be done that others could or would not do.†In other words, try to focus on where you add value and offload everything else.
Defer—consciously decide you will do the task later. This only applies to asks you cannot complete in two minutes or less or can’t delegate to someone else. You can either add the task to your to-do list or schedule an appointment with yourself to complete it. Fortunately, in Entourage, I convert an email message to a task or an event (i.e., appointment) with a single keystroke.
File—if you think you might need the information, file it. But do not create an elaborate set of file folders. This is the single most important piece of advice I can give you. Just file everything in one folder called “Processed Mail.â€
If it is more complicated than this, it will lead to procrastination. Trust me on this. You will have to decide, Should I file this under Tami because it is from her or under Max because it is about him? And then what happens if the email covers more than one subject? Do you make copies of the email and put one copy under each folder? Things can get complicated fast.
Forget all of that. File your email in one folder and let your email or system software (e.g., “Spotlightâ€) find it when you need it. The search capabilities of almost every modern email program will enable you to put your hands on any message whenever it is necessary. It may take you a few minutes longer to find the message using this method, but this is offset by the hours you waste trying to figure out how to file your messages.
Use keyboard shortcuts and avoid the mouse. The mouse is a horribly inefficient input device. Nearly every mouse action has a keyboard equivalent. In Mac OS X, you can even create keyboard shortcuts for any menu item in any software package. (Check under  | System Preferences | Keyboard & Mouse | Keyboard Shortcuts.)
My personal goal is to never use the mouse. Everytime I do, I must take my hands off the keyboard. It doesn’t sound like that would cost you much time, but it adds up. KeyCue is a Mac program that will help you learn the shortcuts for any program. It is worth the investment. Alternatively, you can check the program’s help file and look up “keyboard shortcuts.â€
Let email rules filter the low-priority stuff. If you haven’t discovered email rules, you’re missing a great time-saver. (In both Outlook and Entourage, the select Tools | Rules.) They sounds a little geeky, but they are not that difficult to use. Like everything, it will take a little investment, but it will save you hours of time.
For example, I have a rule that moves email messages I am just copied on to a “CC Mail†folder. I assume that these are lower priority messages. I don’t want them cluttering up my main inbox. I get to them when I can, but it is not high priority.
I also have Bacn folder for email newsletters, receipts, and other automatically-generated reading material. (“Spam†is unsolicited bulk email. “Bacn†is solicited bulk email.) Entourage has a Mailing List Manager that makes this a breeze. And, like CC mail, it keeps it out of my inbox.
Don’t give into despair. You can keep up with email. You don’t have to be a geek. But you will have to make some new commitments and learn some new behaviors. But in the end, a little extra effort will save you time and give you the satisfaction that you are in control of your workflow.
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lcreekmo says:
This is a great post -- very good tips. For years, I was overwhelmed by email -- and you are exactly right. It made me appear ineffective and unresponsive. About a year ago, I cleaned up my act at work. It's a daily battle, but I'm on the winning side now.
I am about to do the same with my personal email -- an even bigger issue. But I can't wait to have that in order, as well.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008 at 10:03 AM
Michael Covington says:
A few questions are brewing after reading this post:
1)Are you still only checking Email a couple times a day or have you since changed that behavior?
2)Do you maintain more than one Email account? One for work, one for personal?
3)Do you use the Projects feature in Entourage?
4)Do you archive old messages into archive folders to help manage your Exchange Server volume?
Answers to any/all of these would be helpful. Thanks.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008 at 11:40 AM
Conrad says:
Another tip: don't check your email as it comes in, because this is a frequent distraction.
Try to check all new email periodically, like once an hour, or twice a day. But don't just go to email when you see a new one come in.
Perhaps turn off that new-email alert.
You might look less responsive, but you'll get more real work done.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008 at 11:58 AM
Colleen Coble says:
My name is Colleen Coble and I'm an email-aholic. No email has a chance to grow cold in my inbox because I pounce on it the moment it arrives. LOL
Great tips, Mike, and I really should only check email every hour or so. I really should. Of course I should.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008 at 12:26 PM
Karina Mikhli says:
I agree that it's vital to get to the bottom of your in-box daily. However, I'm a big fan of folders. While filing e-mails by people may get confusing, if you file them by project, it'll expedite searching for specific e-mails later.
Do you rely on a BlackBerry to stay on top of e-mail or do you do it at your computer?
Tuesday, June 17, 2008 at 02:05 PM
Kyle Olund says:
Have been using the "Processed" folder for close to a year now, and it is great. And that is the folder that gets archived automatically. If I need to find something quick, I use Google Desktop to help me. The "Cc" folder is great too. I've been using that for a few months, and it's wonderful to finally open that up and see a string of ten or so e-mails on an issue that has been solved by someone else. I still have a long way to go, though, in mastering my in-box. Thanks, Mike.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008 at 03:22 PM
HEATHER says:
WOW! 'Cause I took the time to read this "email," I will be a whole new woman with how I handle ALL my emails. Thank you!
Tuesday, June 17, 2008 at 04:28 PM
Miki Szikszai says:
Michael
An interesting post - I have started taking a batch processing approach to my mail.
The question I ask is how you combine this with having a personal device such as an iphone - do you have any experience on how you are managing this?
I would also add that I have also taken on a personal reponsibility to be very careful about when and to whom I send email. Removing my part of the cycle of waste is another way to stop a flood of stuff coming in.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008 at 05:26 PM
Scoti Springfield Domeij says:
I once worked for someone who expected me to find my emails and his, usually within minutes. Sometimes the requested emails or information had been processed a year before. I downloaded GOOGLEDESKTOP, which is an amazingly fast search tool. Since I have a photographic memory, I close my eyes and envision the email, then "read" or remember specific words from emails that I used as a key word(s). The advantage of GOOGLEDESKTOP includes pulling up the email plus all related documents.
GOOGLEDESKTOP searches INSTANTLY the following on your computer: Email (including Gmail, Outlook, Outlook Express, Netscape Mail, Thunderbird, and Mozilla Mail); Chats (from Google Talk, AOL Instant Messenger, and MSN Messenger); Web history (from Internet Explorer, Firefox, Netscape, and Mozilla); Microsoft Word documents; Microsoft Excel spreadsheets; Microsoft PowerPoint presentations; PDF files; Media files (images, audio, video); Contacts; Calendar appointments; Tasks; Notes; Journal; Zip filesNew! (including content, not just metadata); Text and other files; Password protected Microsoft Office documents (Word and Excel); Secure web pages (HTTPS).
Tuesday, June 17, 2008 at 10:46 PM
tsudohnimh says:
Instead of a Processed Mail folder I use a 3 folder method. Archive, Action, Hold. Action requires me to do something but I can act on it immediately. Hold contains items that are "open situations" but I'm waiting on another party for input. Archive is just the stuff I need to keep.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008 at 01:45 AM
Mark says:
This is great stuff and I'm sending it your post on to some folks.
Although there is stuff I can use here, I have my own, very different system (hey, you have to use what works for you, right?).
1. Is it something that goes in a pre-set or new subfolder? If yes, file. (I don't have very many of these; I tend to only create these for major projects. If I need to find something, I use the "Look For" function or sort by date.)
1a. If immediate action is needed, do it. If not, mark unread.
2. If no to #1, read and act on, or keep unread. Since I attend a lot of webinars, I tend to keep the emails w/ registration info unread until the day of the event so I can quickly pull them up @ sign-in time. Or if I'm waiting to hear back from a coworker I'll keep it unread till resolved.
I'm using Outlook. And I should add a disclaimer that I work in an extremely small office (6 FT and 2 PT) w/ only 4 reports, so I would probably need a more complicated system if we had more staff and/or I had more reports.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008 at 05:16 PM
CATALYST says:
You're a genius! Thank you for these genius email tips!
Thursday, June 19, 2008 at 07:40 AM
Pete Wilson says:
I love this post Michael. I too, empty my inbox every day. I can't stand to go to bed with emails sitting there.
Your tips will help me achieve my goals quicker and more effectively.
Thanks so much!
Thursday, June 19, 2008 at 09:09 AM
Photo Buffet says:
Fabulous advice! As one who has been working hard for months, to rid the clutter from her life, my Inbox is an area that seems to pile up fast.
Thanks for some manageable steps. I'm all over it.
Wednesday, September 03, 2008 at 10:55 PM
Terry Hull says:
Great post -- with some great, practical ideas! I really appreciated this one.
Friday, September 12, 2008 at 11:25 AM
James says:
Fantastic solid advice...time to break the habit of a lifetime!
Thursday, November 13, 2008 at 10:13 AM
rick womack says:
working through the process now - it's painful - but there's light at the end of the tunnel.
Thursday, November 13, 2008 at 12:40 PM
Dena DYer says:
Simple, practical, and do-able. Thanks so much!
Thursday, November 13, 2008 at 01:01 PM
David Reber says:
Michael,
Great idea on point #4 above on setting Rules. I just set both of your suggestions.
Thanks for send this link back out on Twitter this morning.
Follow me at http://twitter.com/dareber
Thursday, November 13, 2008 at 09:35 PM
Sonia Coleman says:
Great tips for email... I've got to work on the keyboard shortcuts. I'm going to check out the Keycue program you mentioned. I've already downloaded it.
Thanks!
Friday, November 14, 2008 at 05:52 PM