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For many dealing with the holiday email back-log is one of the most stressful aspects of taking a break. More stressful some say than, losing your luggage, having to look after aging parents or fractious children. It compels them to stay connected even although it might adversely impact their holiday (as Lucy Kellaway recently found).
Email overload free vacation
Last week Daimler introduced an email programme which automatically deletes employees emails when they are on leave. It sends a message to the sender asking them to re-send the email if it is important after the recipient is back.
The Daimler system is sophisticated and most companies are not in a position to implement such a system but take heart there are other options. The key thing to remember is that technology alone will never cure email overload whatever some software providers say.
The real cure for email overload lies in changing our email behaviour. It is about re-thinking how we use email and curing what has become the hidden disease of 21st century working life – email and data addiction.
In the short term or those either going on holiday or just returning to work, there are some simple things you can do.
1) Before you go – housekeeping
Before you go away do some basic email housekeeping to clean up your inbox. For example, clear out all the old emails and set some filters to remove all the new but unnecessary emails (eg newsletters). Most email software allows you to set two different Out of Office messages. So for your internal emails, set a message similar to the Daimler system one. Indeed this is what many executives already do.
For more tips on how to clean up your inbox before going on leave see earlier posts.
2) On your return – talk and talk again
On your return, talk, talk and talk again before you even touch your inbox. This gives you an overview of anything that really needs your attention. Then and only then tackle the inbox. Triage it and deal only with the really vital emails.
For more tips see our seven step plan to reduce the holiday email overload.
3) Declare email bankruptcy
As for the rest, declare email bankruptcy. Delete the lot. If anything is that important you can be sure the sender will re-contact you.
The result – freedom from email holiday overload and the need to stay connected. Of course in the longer term you need to implement an email management change programme to better educate your colleagues about how to reduce email overload generally. For help changing the email culture do call us to hear how Mesmo Consultancy’s Brilliant Email Management masterclasses have helped other organisations like yours.
Meanwhile, what is your top tip for reducing the holiday email overload backlog? Is the Daimler approach better than staying connected?
Tags: Brilliant Email Masterclass, Daimler, Email Bankruptcy, email overload, holiday email overload, Lucy Kellaway, Mesmo Consultancy
Email bankruptcy is a good way to reduce the post holiday email overload. Here are some reason why you should declare email bankruptcy and how to do it politely.
Now that we play with our smart phones and associated devices more than we sleep it seems to me that this might be one reason why many are in desperate need of recharging their batteries properly. Will you disconnect on your holiday and take a proper break? Is the fear of returning to the holiday email backl
og too worrying?
One way to over come this most debilitating illnesses of 21st century business life is to declare email bankruptcy, delete them all and wait for someone to re-contact you about anything either urgent or important. Mesmo Consultancy’s research shows that at least just under half (46%) of the emails we receive are unnecessary. During the holiday period you can be sure that of the remaining half, at least half are past their sell-by date and about a quarter will be cc’d emails with long threads which you will read and be non the wiser.
Tell colleagues that you have declared email bankruptcy and to re-send anything they think you should see. Indeed this is what many savvy executives put in their Out of Office message. The result, just a few key emails and an otherwise empty inbox.
This is a summary of a longer post which appeared on the HuffingtonPost.com
Tags: email backlog, Email Bankruptcy, empty inbox, holiday email overload, Mesmo Consultancy