Recovering from Email Mania
From: Kay Jones Lewis
May 01,2010
From: Kay Jones Lewis
May 01,2010
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Over the last few decades, email has evolved into one of America’s primary methods of communication. Those who have managed to avoid this e-revolution may find themselves out of the loop on a number of fronts, both personal and professional. While email has improved our ability to communicate with co-workers, friends, and family, it has also become a major source of stress for a lot of us. Just managing the volume of e-communications can be daunting and deciding how to prioritize them and respond can become mind-boggling.
Carson Tate, a certified professional organizer, often gets calls from professionals who need her help to manage the deluge of messages that are cluttering their inboxes. “I think we’re overwhelmed with information—it’s information overload. It comes in from multiple sources and we don’t know what to do with it. Workers spend over 41% of their day in their inboxes. That’s almost half of their workday, so it’s no wonder that we’re overwhelmed by this major stressor.”
To get control of your inbox and reclaim your day, Carson recommends using what she calls the “email clarity system.” It’s a decision making tool that involves these simple steps:
Read: The first step is to read your email, and not when you’re driving down the road or when you’re in line at Starbucks. Read it for content and understanding.
Decide: The second step is to decide on your next action step. What do you need to do with this message to move it forward?
Act: The third step is to do it—to act on it. If you can quickly respond to an email, respond.
Contain: The fourth step is to keep the information organized—that’s the contain step. You need to decide on a way to organize your folders so they make sense for you. Most email management systems allow you to write rules that will direct your messages automatically into specified folders. Another helpful hint is to put numbers in front of your file names instead of alphabetizing them. That way you get to chose what’s at the top of your file list.
If you sit in front of a computer all day, you also may need to wean yourself from reading every email the moment it arrives. Checking email at regular intervals throughout the day is less disruptive to your routine and can be more efficient in the long run.
By taking these simple steps to organize your email each day, you’ll reduce your stress levels and regain enough valuable time to relax.
From an interview with:
Carson Tate, CPO carson@simplicity-organizers.com Written by:
Kay Jones Lewis Editor Wellness Coalition America |
