Wait a minute! I’m on the RECEIVING end of an e-mail message… How can I reduce the amount of e-mail I receive???
You can. And here are just some of the ways you can reduce the amount of e-mail gracing your already overwhelmed inbox. Many of these tips are excerpted from Inbox Detox and the Habit of E-mail Excellence (Acanthus Publishing,2009) by Marsha Egan.
Email begets email. It is important to understand that the more you send, the more e-mail you’ll get. We believe that for every one e-mail message sent, about 3 are received in return. After all, you’re not always sending to just one person.
By reducing the number of emails you send daily, and by implementing some simple steps when sending email, you will in return reduce the number of emails you receive.
There is no question that people who use email more frequently in turn receive more emails in response. Try reducing your sent messages by half and observe the result.
Below are some other ways to minimize the email coming into your inbox. Here is a summary of email reducing practices:
Ask yourself, “Is this email really necessary?” Consider that each email you send to one recipient could create at least one return email. For messages sent to groups, there is an obvious potential mutliplier effect. By envisioning the email you send as a potential trigger for a return email, you will help yourself receive less email.
Pick up the phone. Situations requiring true dialogue are best served with a phone call. Many times even a voice mail message can be better in advancing the conversation. Because we talk roughly four times faster than we write, you can convey more, and with the proper voice inflection by voicemail than by e-mail.
Avoid emotion. Argumentative, emotional, or controversial emails should not be sent; they not only create more angst, but generally create more email response. And if several people are copied, you can just about guaranatee that all of them will be copied on the response.
Use an autosignature. Be sure your email signature line contains all of your contact information. A detailed signature line will make it easy for others to call you or contact you instead of emailing, thereby saving the overall transaction time.
Resist temptation. Don’t fall into the trap of responding to emails just because you feel you need to-if an email truly doesn’t require your reply, let it go and save valuable time.
Clear, concise, short emails. Well crafted and clear emails avoid misunderstadings and return emails to you asking for clarification.
Main point first. Place your main point, assignment, or request within the first two lines of an email can get your reader focused on exactly what you want right from the get-go.
Copy the right recipients. If you copy people extraneously, you are not only generating more messages for them, but also risking receiving an unnecessary response yourself.
Proofread your email. By making sure that the content of your message is understandable, you will avoid a barrage of reply questions in your inbox.
Try these. Let us know which ones work for you. OR – share more tips!
