Reduce Time Spent On Email
by ChristaThe average employee gets far more email than he or she can cope with, and an increasing number of people suffer from “email overload.” People are even declaring email bankruptcy and deleting all their email at once, but that doesn’t really solve the problem since more emails just keep pouring in.
Think about this…… Let’s assume you get 50 emails each day. On average, it takes about four minutes typing up a response to each one. That’s over three hours each day dedicated to email alone. Now, let’s factor that number into five days a week multiplied by 48 work weeks a year; that’s 800 hours spent on only email. That’s almost 20 weeks dedicated completely to email! Do you see what I’m getting at? Email is a serious contributing factor to a business’s lack of productivity.
In a world of information overload where email has created the never ending workday, it’s time we start using this tool more effectively. Here are two tips you can start implementing sooner than later.
- Avoid opening email first thing in the morning: This may send shivers up your spine, and I am not suggesting waiting until noon, but by postponing your email, you can dedicate this high-energy morning time to a task that adds value to your day and brings you closer to your goals.
- Process Email At Specific Times: Process your email in short doses, perhaps twice daily or for a few minutes each hour. Now I know this will be a challenge and requires a habit change, but email creates a reactionary work environment and you can greatly increase your effectiveness if you set aside specific email time frames. Additionally, when you don’t respond immediately, it sets the precedent that you are not sitting at your desk waiting to deal with someone’s email.
Since many of us have never had email training, and since we have not set up email rules and boundaries, the benefits quickly spin out of control. Manage yourself and you can reduce time spent on email.
To schedule an email management workshop call us at 778.839.5792 or visit our website for more details.
Tags: email management, Organizing Vancouver, professional organizer vancouver, Vancouver professional organizer
February 1st, 2010 at 2:40 pm
Amen to #2 – setting pre-assigend time slots in the day for dealing with email and ignoring it the rest of the time. #1 depends on the work requirements of each job, as well as the biological clock of each person – you and I may be “morning thinkers”, others my do their best creative work later in the day.
I do question, however, the “a few minutes each hour” idea. People need more than an hour to get into really creative thought – chopping this time every hour is much too distracting IMHO… 2-3 longer times daily are what I’d recommend.