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Today, email has become one of the most effective mediums of
communication in every field. A lot of people today are stressed
as they find it difficult to prioritize, categorize and organize
emails before answering them. If you are one of those who get
thousands of emails on a daily basis, it is absolutely essential
for you to develop a process that can effectively help you organize
your email so you can actually see a manageable number of emails
in your in-box on a regular basis.
Most of us come across certain messages we are not very sure
what to do about. We tend to just close the message and leave
it there. Within no time, you will find hundreds of such mails
piled up in your in box.
It is time for you to create a new process and approach which will enable you to gain more control over your mail box. You will also improve your ability to keep up your due dates and take crucial action on time thereby improving your response time.
To effective process email, one of the first things you must do is to get a good system in place. There are “Five Questions” that need to be asked of every email.
These are: 1) Do I do it now 2) Do I defer to a specific time 3) Do I delegate to a specific person 4) Do I delete it 5) Do I define it and divert it.
Processing email in this step by step manner is of utmost importance
to curb your temptation to jump around in the in box. Move to
the second email only after completing the “Five Question” process.
This will help you stay focused and organized.
If you are using outlook express, you can filter mails by subject, date or the person you received mails from. Outlook also enables you to see your messages without actually opening them with the AutoPreview option on the View menu.
Interruptions in the form of instant messaging, phone calls, visitors, etc, affect your ability to focus. It is essential to set aside a time of day when you are sure you will not be interrupted to organize and process emails. Just about one hour a day of uninterrupted work will help you get email organized to a great extent.
Always reference your company’s document control policy and follow its compliance standards. If you learn how to decide fast on what to do with the emails based on priority, then half your task is done. This is where a “Task Folder” in outlook express can be utilized. One of the most difficult decisions to take is whether you can delete a particular message or keep it for future reference. Most of us are hesitant deleting messages as we feel we may be deleting something important forever. If it is a message that you can take action on immediately, just do it and get it done with. Action may include making a phone call, answering the mail itself or filing the message. You will be surprised that at least one third of your messages can be handled in just two minutes.
If it is a message you need to take action on and will take some time, then you can file the message in the take action folder. If you follow these steps on a regular basis every day, it is possible to eliminate the stress of email organizing out of your mind completely.
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