Welles: Avoid e-mail drudgery
Cleaning up message clutter simply requires following these 9 principles of organization
- Send less. Whenever possible, avoid using the Reply to All and CC features, and use group distribution lists sparingly. Targeting rather than spraying e-mails will result in fewer messages coming back.
- Stop then send. Before hitting the send button, ask yourself, Will it help the recipient do a job better? Is it timely? If not, skip it.
- Try NRN. Not every e-mail message needs a reply, especially if its just to say thanks. The authors of The Hamster Revolution recommend that with people with whom you exchange e-mail messages most often try including an acronym in the subject line such as NRN, no reply needed.
- Go live. Avoid long back-and-forth e-mail discussions by substituting in-person or phone meetings.
- Use an action subject. Vague, wordy subject lines confuse the reader and make e-mail messages hard to locate later. Words such as request or confirmation, with dates or times, add clarity to e-mail messages.
- ABC. Avoid sending a wall of words. Use the ABC method to divide your e-mail messages. Start with Action, stating your purpose; Background, presenting key points; and Close, clarifying the next steps.
- Save less. Searching for e-mail messages takes time. Before saving an e-mail message, ask yourself if it is important to what you are working on, or if you could easily get the information elsewhere. If you save less, youll find more.
- File smarter. A folder labeled Stuff from the Boss could contain anything from a performance review to a brown-bag invitation. Folders labeled according to the content rather than sender can help you find information faster. But if you are worried about losing what the boss sends, try a folder labeled Action for time-sensitive e-mail content.
- Help others. You can improve your e-mail messages, send less, and share these and your own tips with others in the
office.
Welles is a retired federal employee who has also worked in the private sector. She lives in Bethesda, Md., and writes about work/life topics for Federal Computer Week. She can be reached at jwelles@1105govinfo.com.