Manage email, don't let it manage you (some tips)

Now to get off the subject a bit. I follow the very relevant and topical site of Michael Hyatt, CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers. He raised some concerns about his email overload and elicited comments. 

After boring him with my own feedback, I did some general research and here are my findings gleaned from various sources:

Manage expectations - deliberately coach senders about things that irritate you and gently move them to a different style e.g. get to the point, shorter please, etc. In fact, send back the email and ask them to reformat appropriately and you will undoubtedly progress to a cleaner inbox. Let people know upfront that you do not want to get certain messages - like those cute little "pass it ons". Also politely ask people to remove you from their "general circulation lists".  

- To avoid offending I once put in a rule that sent an appropriate message to emails that asked me to onsend to someone I care about. There are other rules you can set up, or if you can't, mimick a rule i.e. send a reply email that seems automated - it will be less in the face than a direct confrontation and once set up and approved, your personal assistant can happily use it where needed. Rather get complementary channels to link back to your primary site. Also elicit inter-debate so that the debate itself draws people, rather than you having to feed them. Also use surveys to elicit opinions, rather than driving up traffic.
Use rules

Limit your media channels - If you do need to maintain a social media presence, fine, but stick with one else you will quickly bog down. If you are really busy, appoint someone to PR for you - a secretary or a ghosting service (many CEO's do just that). Keep a separate mailbox for VIP correspondence. 

Cap all boomeranging - either ensure closure in your mails by indicating as such e.g. "Let's leave it at that" or something similar. Else revert to rule 1 and instruct the offender to change the habit.

Use filters - eliminate all SPAM, but whatever you do never reply to SPAM - you will just confirm your e-presence and invite them to keep going. Email software generally offers other filters and corporate servers provide SPAM walls. However, if that still fails and if you can afford it, consider at least outsourcing clean up duties. Ask your secretary to remove all "for info's" or other irrelevancies.

Let the Secretary reply - in many cases that is quite fine. Many bosses get a hardcopy of all mails (duly cleaned up), every morning and they jot down a quick action note on each - then leave the secretary to do the padding and relevant niceties. However, be careful, your secretary was designed for a different role, so being your email batman may be self-defeating. A skilled PR person or a secretary who has PR skills, may be invaluable in complementing your role by managing your PR, but true delegation is not offloading. If need be train her, equip her to ghost you, send her on a course, etc. However, don't delegate your ultimate responsibility to your constituencies, because that brings us to what we had before email - a barrier.

Stop before sending - its a tough confession, but I often asked myself, "Is this so important" - if in doubt I delete and see if it comes knocking again. More often than not it doesn't. Also ask if you really need to engage, because each email sent does generate traffic.

Get to the point - be brief, use the subject heading strategically to properly introduce your objective, state what you have to say in the fewest possible words and intimate, where possible, that a reply is unnecesary.

Avoid contentions - email is generally for information. If misunderstandings are evident or clarity is needed or a fight is brewing, stop it - use the phone and cut the cycle short, or call a meeting.

Delay your response where applicable - it always cools things down, regardless of the nature of the engagement, but it also helps you to avoid rushing into a response that might fuel a fire.

Schedule your email time - you will waste too much time responding as and when - I find it best to manage my inbox before or after work.    

Protect your brand - don't be led by technology. Determine who you are and how you want to be perceived and harness the technology to help you get there. Also take special precautions about your language, tone, spelling, grammar - as they all say something about you. However, keep your style simple as it ensure better understanding and less recycling. I truly believe that accessibility and responsiveness is a vital brand quality and life value, but even Jesus was discriminating in how he managed his different audiences - he had three close confidantes, a near group of disciples, a less near group of 72, a broad following, wider adherents, a few intimate relationships and he set an absolute priority on all communication with His Father. He managed each differently.

Always be polite - as the bible says, "a soft answer turns away much wrath". This should be your default setting as it will always pay back. Even if you have to correct, do so with tact and if you can't don't use email to say what needs to be said.

Change your habits - a very high percentage of executives maintain bad, wasteful habits, like "reply to all" or other avoidable mistakes - do the self-reflection and change your habits. If need be, ask your colleagues for feedback and act accordingly - if you don't, you won't know why you keep irritating them.

Use good filing habits - delete when read or file in a logical filing system - it will save time and unclutter your life.

Declare email bancruptcy - it really helps to close down a mailbox from time to time and to start again, because bad habits are a part of email clutter.

Introduce email free days - some firms are banning all emails on Fridays to give it a break.

Use an internet template - if you are able, develop a template that controls length, forces subject selection, manages priorities, feedbacks immediately where possible, does relevant filtering, redirects based on subject selection, etc. Then complement that with an "in-list" based filter on your private email. Be careful how public you make your email or template, but for those who do use your email and yet are not on your "in list", use a rule to immediately redirect their mail to your private template. Some firms already provide employee contact templates on their sites but most have a "contact us" template - those are fine, but a more private variation on that theme could give busy executives a valuable tool for managing their inbound traffic.  

(c) Peter Eleazar @ www.4u2live.net