How email can actually enhance your productivity
Confession: I love email.
It’s not exactly a popular opinion these days.
As Don Norman said in a 2015 Fast Company story, “email is the office memo turned cancerous, extended to
home and everyday life.”
Google “I hate email” and you get everything from
cartoons to blog posts to active Reddit threads.
More drastically, some companies have even banned internal email, calling it a “pollution” that saps productivity and kills personal
time.
I respectfully disagree.
Email certainly isn’t perfect, but if you create
reliable systems and take control of your inbox, it can actually enhance your
productivity.
Before we get into the how, let’s talk
about the why of email.
The purpose
of email
Everyone should create their own rules, but I use
my inbox for three reasons:
1. Asynchronous
communication
Texts and instant messaging products like Slack
are great. Collaboration tools such as Basecamp, Asana, and Trello can also be
incredibly helpful. Yet, there are situations when email still works best, like
asking a question that requires more thoughtful consideration. Or, sharing an
idea without scheduling a time-draining meeting.
2. Remembering tasks
and responsibilities
My email is my to-do list. From bills to renewal
notices to referrals, I use my inbox to keep track of miscellaneous tasks and
action items.
3. Monitoring systems
and numbers
My company, JotForm, produces a lot of automated
emails. After 12 years in business, nearly 4 million users, and over 100
employees, we’ve learned which product metrics we need to monitor, and which
are more about vanity. I receive the reports by email, and they often reveal interesting
patterns that we need to explore.
Going for zero
As I
wrote on Entrepreneur, I preach the gospel
of Inbox Zero.
Cleaning out your inbox by the end of each workday
not only promotes a sense of calm, it clears your mind to focus on more
important things.
You have more mental space to write, think,
strategize, and tackle meaningful projects.
When you feel like a hamster on a task wheel,
email can seem like a great thing to ignore.
But, here’s why inbox zero matters — and why it works so
well for me.
1. I don’t hold up
our teams
We have three offices on two different continents. If I don’t reply to questions or requests, our
staff often can’t move forward. We try to empower our teams as fully as
possible, but sometimes I still have to chime in with advice or a decision.
2. It builds trust
Failing to respond to an email doesn’t reflect
well on you or your organization. Even if you just forgot or
were overwhelmed by the volume of emails, for the sender, it might feel like
you’re ignoring them. I want staff and colleagues to trust me; to know that
I’ve heard them and will respond within 24 hours (excluding weekends and
holidays). I want our teams to know that they matter to me.
3. I don’t forget
important details
From paying bills to saying thank-you, small
mistakes can have big consequences. An overloaded inbox means that at some
point, something willslip through the cracks. Reaching inbox zero
is one way to ensure that nothing gets buried or forgotten.
How to up your
email game
I understand if “getting better at email” isn’t at
the top of your priority list.
Managing your inbox can seem like a mundane task;
a nagging burden of digital life. But even if the professional benefits aren’t
compelling, weak email boundaries can actually compromise your health.
According to Gloria Mark, a researcher at the
University of California at Irving, there’s a clear link between email and stress.
Mark also found that the average worker checks
their email 74 times in an eight-hour workday. That’s about nine times per hour — which means that you
could have heart rate spikes spike and cortisol surges every 6 minutes.
I feel stressed just reading those numbers. So,
let’s get tactical.
Here are my tips for writing and managing email
more effectively:
Writing email
1. Use clear,
searchable subject lines
“Hello” is not a useful
subject line. Instead, the title of your email should summarize the body
content. For example, “the number of active customers using the payment
feature” tells me exactly what I’ll find inside — and whether I want to
scan, go deep, or delete. It’s also easily searchable If I want to find those stats later.
2. Formatting is
your friend
Huge text blocks are overwhelming. If you have to
write a longer email, use headlines, bullets and numbers for clarity. Ensure
the text is scannable. Highlight sections that need to stand out and make sure
everything is easy to understand.
3. Show, don’t tell
I love to use screenshots, because a picture can be
worth 1,000 words (or save at least 500 words of rambling text). Tables can be
great, too. I’m a big fan of Google Spreadsheets. Copy the relevant cells into
your email or share an annotated image, and try to keep the text to a minimum.
Take screenshots and annotate them to make
it clear.
4. Clarify the
recipient
For group emails and multi-person threads, always
address the person(s) who needs to read or respond to the message. You might be
cc-ing six other people, but if I need to reply, for example, start your note
with “Hi Aytekin,” instead of a generic greeting.
5. Use @ tags
In addition to a targeted greeting, tag anyone in
a group thread who needs to take a specific action. It’s human nature to see
our own name pop out on the screen, so use that to your advantage and help the
recipient to see your task or question.
6. Call out the
action item
Whenever possible, use colors, highlights, or bold
the text when you’re making a request. Ensure it’s separated from the body of
the email, so it’s easy to find when someone is scanning the note. If you ask
for something at the beginning of your message, repeat that request before you
sign off.
Processing email
1. Read and respond
in batches
I think this is the most important practice of
all: set specific times for reading, replying to and deleting email — ideally near the end of
the day.
Even if you do nothing else, applying this
technique should immediately boost your productivity, lower your stress, and
help you stay focused.
And whether you’re an early riser or you’re
committed to the late shift, few of us are at our best after a long stretch of
work. Get to know your own “prime time” and manage email outside of those precious,
creative hours.
2. Move backwards
During your dedicated email time, start with the
oldest messages first. I try not to skip around, either. This personal rule
ensures that I don’t procrastinate or leave anything sitting in my inbox. It’s
a good habit to establish.
3. Take the shortcuts
Keyboard shortcuts exist for a reason. They really
can save you a lot of time. I use Gmail, so I archive by hitting “E” and reply
with “A.” I’m always trying to learn and remember more of these shortcuts, too.
4. Talk
to yourself
My desk is filled with yellow lined pads. I make a
lot of notes throughout the day, and if something needs my attention, I put a
star next to it. Then (during processing time, of course), I send myself an
email noting the task.
I manage my workflow with a mix of analog (written
notes) and digital tools (email, spreadsheets), so it’s the right process for
me. Give this note-and-email system a try if you think it would work for you.
I hope these tips help you to love — or at least tolerate — email again.
It’s so important to make peace with your inbox.
Even Slack co-founder Stewart Butterfield told Fast Company that email isn’t going away anytime soon.
“Maybe by 2080,” he
said. “It’s got decades left at least.”
A TANK
Originally published on JOTFORM.COM
https://medium.com/swlh/how-email-can-actually-enhance-your-productivity-573dd9d68b0
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