I've Fallen (Behind) and I Can't Get Up
Tips for gaining control of e-mail
by Annette E. Petrick, CAE
Appeared in Association Trends national newspaper; July 2001

    Execs today say they have to choose between answering e-mail or "getting their work done." It's time to take control. By enacting some disciplines and protocols, you can make friends with your nemesis and become an e-mail master.

1.	Handle e-mail all at one time, 2-4X a day, not in Pavlovian response to the "you've got mail" signal every ten minutes. 90% of e-mails survive confinement in mailbox for a few hours.
2.	Reply to business e-mail the same day it is received. Even if to inform the person it will be a while before you can get to it, colleagues, customers and vendors deserve the courtesy of a same day response. It will increase their respect for the way you do business.
3.	Build several automatic signatures in your system so you can choose just the right one for each message. Set a default for the one used most often.
4.	Use the DELETE key relentlessly. Get rid of junk mail immediately. A filter could keep out all promotional material. Personally, I want the option of reading or deleting. It usually take 2-4 seconds to make my own choice.
5.	Remember that e-mail also has portability. Print out newsletters and reports to read on the plane or in other comfortable seating areas.
6.	Use e-mail management tools. Outlook, for instance, lets you create file folders right next to your mail box. When e-mail arrives for a key committee or subject, just drag it into the file to keep everything organized.
7.	If someone sends an e-mail stating an expected completion or need date, drag it into "tasks" and set it to pop up a couple of days before the stated deadline. Use the tool as advance reminder rather than to point out deadline missed.
8.	Use the FIND key. With one or two word clues, it will locate material that otherwise could eat up minutes or hours of search time.
9.	Arrange with colleagues and key vendors to address only one subject per e-mail for better organization and management.
10.	In the subject line, use keywords like "New meet time Tues 7/10" rather than generic terms like "Update" or "FYI." This will help with future manual or automatic searches.
11.	Think BRIEF when you're sending e-mails. One client exec kept being asked what was happening, even though he sent lengthy monthly reports. When he switched to thrice weekly e-mail "soundbytes," everyone was informed because they actually read what he sends.
12.	Arrange a code with colleagues that indicates the need for instant response. Put it right in the subject line, rather than burying it in the message. Something like ASAP or FLASH gives a good alert.
13.	Avoid stress by not over-reacting to e-mail inquiries. Because they all come in at once does not mean they all have to be addressed at once. Prioritize but keep things from falling through the e-cracks.
14.	Clean out e-mail files. Systems work better when files have less than 1,000 e-mails in them.
15.	Work expands to fit the time allotted. Don't give yourself all day to do e-mail. Set the number of times you'll check and the length of time you'll spend in the mailbox. When that time is up, move to something else.