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There are many who simply keep all their emails in their inbox. It’s not uncommon to see inboxes with over 5000 emails some of which are over seven years old. Philip Delves Broughton reminded us yesterday that personal organisation is the ‘weight loss of industry and business’.
Your inbox and how you manage it is very much a reflection of you. Often those with unruly inboxes have desks with papers piled high. That is not too say that they are any better or worse than their colleagues with immaculate desks. But information is a key asset for any business.
Those who rarely use folders would say the main reason is that email housekeeping is a waste of time. Surely the task should be automated by the software. To some extent this is true for those with email archiving systems and a related retention policy. They also say it takes longer to find items because they can’t remember where they are filed. For some, believe it or not, it is simply that they just don’t know how to use their email software properly. On every Smart Email Management workshop at least twenty percent say they need help both to create a good folder structure and use the associated software tools. How good is your level of Email IT Fitness?
What’s your opinion of the use of folders? If you don’t use them, why?
Tags: email overload
There are two diverse schools of thought on the value of folders as a way to manage email overload.
Today is the case for a good folder structure, tomorrow the case against using folders.
Those in favour say that a good folder structure is an excellent way to keep your emails under control and manage the email overload, just like having an old fashioned paper filing system. The benefits of a good folder structure include, quicker to find emails, you can use rules to divert the less important emails automatically to folders, easier to manage in terms of clearing out and hence improve compliance.
On my quest to reduce the size of my mailbox, I am going through those folders relating to old projects and deleting all the ephemeral ones, eg confirming meetings, sending attachments which are now filed in the main project file etc. Also importantly, all emails which by law should have been deleted as they contain personal information is no longer needed, eg CVs for recruitment exercises.
If you subscribe to the SMART goal principle then sorting out several smaller folders rather than one large one gives you a sense of achievement in the quest to manage the email overload. Using folders means slimming down the inbox can be broken up into smaller chunks. A good (email) folder structure is also at the heart of the David Allen’s Getting Things Done philosophy as it helps you prioritise.
My new book ‘Brilliant Email‘ contains several examples of how others (from MDs to PAs) have used folder structures to help them be more productive.
What’s your view on the use of folders?
Tags: email overload
Have just created a poll to see how many people looked at their email on Christmas Day. Do participate, http://linkd.in/eYGFDF.
Yes, I did check it just the once in the afternoon, but did not send any. Given that the more emails we send, the more we receive, there might be some telling lessons from the results about dealing with email overload.
Tags: email addiction, email overload
Have you set an Out Of Office message which meets the 3S standard: simple, short and secure.
Simple and short – just one point of contact and please, please make sure that person is around. More than one point of contact and you might find yourself divulging confidential information and increasing the risk of a breach of business security. Secure too, because it doesn’t immediately alert any cyber criminals to a potentially empty home.
Email etiquette for the best Out Of Office messages – ‘I will not be in the office between X and Y. If your email is urgent, please contact A, otherwise I will deal with it on my return.’ That’s the polite message.
I do know some people whose message reads ‘I will not be in the office between X and Y. If your email is urgent, please re-send it on A, as all incoming emails during this period are automatically being deleted’.
Actually, I think that’s a great way to manage the email overload. What do you think?
Tags: email etiquette, email management, email overload
Have been ruthless with my own email management techniques by emptying my inbox over the last few days. All newsletters over a week old (opened and unopened) have been deleted. Any of specific interest have been moved to folders. Spent time too reducing the email overload in my sent items. Those which have to be retained have been filed either in the client or project folder (eg those with contractual implications). Even the e-christmas cards are now in a folder. For more ideas on putting your inbox on a diet see my latest Silicon.Com column ‘Five Ways to Start an Email Weight Loss Campaign over Christmas‘.
Tags: email overload, email retention, silicon.com