What's the best way to avoid email overload?

Anita,

I have 12 email address' and receive hundreds of emails a day. I have most of them funneling into several email accounts which I have designated for different purposes. I use Mail 5 on my MB pro and have tons of "rules" set up to highlight, flag or forward all of my important (meaning..stuff that I should read) in each account. With that, I then create smart mailboxes to sort thru some stuff when I need to research.

I have several hundred thousand emails across these inboxes and about 44,000 unread. I try to achieve inbox zero on my business account once a week and then flip through the other inboxes when I have a chance and the categorize emails by category. It takes some work to set up, but once you do, your inbox becomes your friend and you can start to love it all over again.

I once took my MB pro to the Apple store for some service. When the technician saw my mail account, he told me that it was the most active/productive and scary thing he had ever seen from any Apple user he has ever dealt with.

I love "out of office" messages and I try to keep mine humorous so people pay attention. Boring ones suck.

Control your email or let it control you.

Andrew Kordek
Co-Founder, Trendline Interactive
A Strategic Email Marketing Agency
Twitter: @andrewkordek & @trendlinei
Email: andrew@trendlineinteractive.com

1. Strongly limit use of cc: (send less, get less)
2. Prioritize emails from key executives and peers
3. Auto delete some groups, individuals while on vacation

4. Have and model purpose: try starting each email with the words “this is to…”
5. Don’t respond to everything
6. Set aside ‘email only’ times and then turn it off

Defining the purpose of email is an important step in reducing the amount you get.

Email is great to set up appointments, give instructions, or get a yes/no. But if a conversation is required, especially between multiple people, it is not the most effective medium.

I have set up private groups in Linkedin, for example, to share expertise between peers. I use the good-old fashion phone, conference calls, as well as Google chat. All these things help me manage my inbox as well as make better use of my time.

How do you define the purpose of email?

I actually wrote a blogpost for exactly this, last year: http://ow.ly/7bMOk

My tips in that post:

- Turn off all social media notifications (you’ll be on those channels all the time or at least once a day anyway, right? Either via mobile or other device)

- Choose your channel of choice on news/blog updates: be it RSS, Twitter, or yes, email: spread the input over multiple channels

- Move stuff like media to ‘the cloud’: have an intranet microblogging option like Yammer (in your company) or chat privately available to share media

- Have software updates just update, or not: good software tells you when an update is available

- Change the frequency at which you receive newsletters and sale offers from retailers

This is even separate of personal email traffic, which deserves special attention too. Email might not always be the answer :)

Thanks, Brian. I have multiple emails, but they all dump into one account. *sigh* Sort of defeats the purpose, doesn't it?

Robert,
I love the "send less, get less" attitude. Let's hope everyone catches on!

Yes, the more you send, the more you'll get. If everyone sends just 10% fewer emails each day, consider the world impact.

"Email begets email"

Know what your priorities are, answer emails that only relate to these, dedicate specific times of the day to respond and do any of the organizing that people have recommended

Anita,

I've attached a shortcut to a really good book with lots of useful advice on how to manage email. I think that it's the sort of thing that a lot of people could make use of.

http://amzn.to/rBNyxf

For me, the main thing is to actually manage emails in a way that suits the individual.

For years, I managed to control my email with judicious use. However, since becoming unemployed, it's getting the upper hand with all the so called leads coming in, not to mention the marketing targeting the job seeker.

Still, there is one solution that cuts out a lot of noise: Pick up the phone whenever you need to engage with someone.

Email is only a tool, like a hammer. It's not always the right tool.

"Men have become the tools of their tools."
- Henry David Thoreau

here's my take:
1. Karen, I couldn't agree more. Does anyone remember what a telephone is and what its purpose is? Use it folks!
2. I wholeheartedly agree with "send less, get less" program.
3. Rules will get most of the garbage gone before you get it in a live mailbox. Rules will also automatically send your email to folders you setup. Some may be urgent, many simply are not.
4. Stop subscribing to all the things you're never going to read.
5. Get updates, like linkedin groups, once a week, NOT daily. You'll never be able to answer or read it all anyway.
6. I tell salespeople to send me stuff in the mail. Just because it comes to me faster in email doesn't mean I'm going to read it faster.
7. Learn how to use Outlook effectively. You can drag emails into calendars, tasks, followups and so on. This tactic can keep your email inbox on the smaller side.
8. In many cases (NOT ALL CASES) if you are getting more than 30 emails a day you may want to check if you are working effectively and if there is a real need for them. Personally, I do not need to read every single follow up email note on project management apps like basecamp on similar. I read the entire string once every 3-4 days or catch up at meetings..

This is a great question and one that I am asked over and over again. Here are my answers, which are excerpted from my book, Unstuff Your Life! http://amzn.to/d0dngW

1. Check e-mail only when you have the time to review it and reply to it.
o Do not open emails unless you have time to process them and answer them as well.
o Start and finish dealing with each new message when you first see it.
o EXCEPT WHEN content is too emotionally charged for you—never press SEND for replies composed in the heat of the moment. Give yourself a cooling-off period to review and edit, post-upset.

Excluding the above exception, these three steps should guide your e-mail process.
· Read it. · Reply to it. · File it (or trash it).

2. Check e-mail on demand—disable automatic checking.
When NOT checking email, close your e-mail program completely, turn off automatic mail checking and turn off all announcement features, such as sounds or pop-up screens that herald the arrival of e-mail.

3. Don’t read and answer your e-mail throughout the day.
Establish a particular time or times each day and an appropriate duration for the review and answering of e-mail. Set a timer, and when the time is up, you’re finished.

4. Don’t answer e-mail at your most productive time of day.
Answer the following question: I’m most productive between _______________ and ________________. Now that you’ve defined it, that time is sacrosanct. Do not answer e-mails or take on conflicting commitments during this time.

5. Inbox means inbox.
Your inbox should show only unread messages. It is not a task list, a shopping list, or a reminder area for lingering “to-do” items.

6. Set up your e-mail program to manage your e-mail as much as possible.
Configure e-mail “rules” or “filters” to direct e-mails to specific folders based on sender, subject, and/or content.

7. The more e-mails you answer, the more e-mails you receive.
Train yourself NOT to respond to e-mails that don’t require a response.

8. Reply when necessary.
Many e-mails don’t require a response, but some do. Even if the reply is “no,” “no, thanks,” or “I can’t,” don’t leave ‘em hanging. If you can’t help but know someone who can, forward it on to the appropriate person and CC the sender. Win, win.

9. Read the entire message thread before responding.
Ever answered an e-mail only to discover that someone else had previously answered it? Save time and face by being thorough.

10. Use complete information in the subject line.
Avoid cute personal shorthand, private languages or overly abbreviated subjects, such as “update,” “checking in,” or “status.” Be thorough and succinct, to the point, and direct. You’ll help the recipient anticipate content and ensure an accurate response.

11. Automate responses to frequently asked questions.
Create standard replies to frequent questions and fold them into “signature” files in your e-mail program. Then select the appropriate “signature” when replying.

12. Publish your preferred methods for contact.
Let people know, in print, how and when you wish to be contacted. If you prefer text messages to e-mails, Skype to phone, etc., spell it out for folks in your signature and/or on your website so they can comply with your wishes.

13. Reduce your use of e-mail as much as possible.
Seek out alternative ways of communicating. Does broadcasting a tweet or text message more succinctly get the information out? When no response is required, consider publishing things publicly somewhere with a permalink (wiki, blog, Twitter).

14. When all else fails, you can always declare e-mail bankruptcy.
Consider carefully whether drastic acts, like bankruptcy or dumping your address and starting over, offer more than a temporary solution to a larger problem. Neither option guarantees a more manageable relationship WITH e-mail. That is still up to you.

1. Limit the time/times you check email. Usually I check work email three times a day (morning, midday, and before COB). If your business requires constant contact, I suggest hourly at the top or bottom of the hours and never check during lunch, dinner or special occasions/meeting (during this time use your auto out of office message). You need break away from the emails at some point in your day otherwise they will take over.

2. When sending email use the subject line with very specific information/tags. For example the subject line should look like this [PROJECT NAME, Task/Action]...sample "CURBSIDE SOLID WASTE COLLECTION SERVICE, Pre Proposal Meeting". This makes for easy sorting and searching. This allows the receipent to clearly know what the email is about versus the subject line stating "Meeting".

3. Unless absolutely necessary limit who is cc'd. I find that the more people that are cc'd the more off-track the email can become. If you want other people to be aware of the information included in the email than forward the email separately and make sure that the original addressees have been included and that you state FYI only!

4. Recognize those emails that should be left alone. Just because you get an email doesn't make it your priority. As Kenny Rogers states it best..."know when to hold'em, know when to fold'em, know when to walk away, and know when to run!" And with today's technology, this statment is absolutely true.

Very hot topic, and some great ideas and suggestions here! I used to be completely overwhelmed with email requests, and felt if I wasn't responding to customers promptly, they would perceive me as unresponsive. This meant I was constantly distracted by my email, and eventually, ended up working ridiculous hours to get my work done!

- I completely agree with the suggestion to set aside specific times that are dedicated to checking email - if you're consistent with the time of day, eventually those sending you email requests are "trained" not to expect an instant response, and will know that you'll likely respond at XXX time.

- The above highlights something important - you need to set expectations, and only set expectations that you can meet or exceed. This could mean setting up an auto-response that could say "Thank you for your email. Please note that I typically respond to emails during the following times of day: . If this is urgent you can contact me at: , or contact ...." etc... or, as with the above, eventually senders are trained that you usually respond to your emails during specific times of day.

- Additionally, and I'm not sure if it was mentioned here - avoid the urge to move through your unread messages by oldest to newest. While on one hand, you want to respond/action emails where senders have been waiting the longest - I've found that often times situations have been resolved by the time I checked my email, especially in cases where I'm not the only recipient. Avoid, at all costs, the loop of responding to an email, only to open the next email from the same person saying "Oh, never-mind, I figured it out" - this only creates more emails.

- Identify the biggest culprits in your Inbox that make it unbearable - what types of messages do you receive the most? Are there particular senders that seem to dominate your inbox and clog it? Once you've identified the culprits, you can find ways to manage or eliminate them. Whether it's setting up rules, or negotiating a system / process for senders who dominate your email, or, finding an app or solution that can help.

- And, on the topic of apps/add-ons - there are often tools you can find online that can help. The Email Game (http://emailga.me/) for example, can be a great tool (if you're using Google Mail) when you're going through your inbox - it sets time limits, and rewards you for handling your messages efficiently. If your using Google Mail, the Mail Labs (Labs tab in your email settings) has pre-release features that can also help. SmartCloud (getsmartcloud.com) is an awesome app that automatically tags and saves important attachments from your email to the cloud (Box, Dropbox) helps to avoid losing important content from your inbox, and saves you time in processing attachments.

As others have said, we need to own our email, and not let it own us!

Thanks to all of you for such great responses. I'm sorry I wasn't able to fit them all in as I had to make deadline, but here's the story: http://bit.ly/rvXrZH