Get Organized Pittsburgh

The average projected number of corporate emails sent and received per person, per day: 142 in 2007, 156 in 2008, 177 in 2009, 199 in 2010, 228 in 2011. By 2009, workers are expecting to spend 41% of their time in email management.

Radicati Group, Palo Alto, 2007

How do we combat this trend?

SEND LESS
For every 5 emails you send, 3 will require a response! By eliminating just one email in five you can reduce your email by 12%. Since every email takes an average of two minutes to process, this one tip can save you hours if not days!

USE THE SUBJECT LINE-EOM!
Use descriptive subject lines even in a chain of emails. Use EOM for End Of Message in the subject line to let the reader delete without even opening. Specific subject lines help with retrieval later as well. You can even change subject lines on emails that you receive in Outlook by opening the email, highlighting the subject and saving!

AVOID THE TEMPTATION TO REPLY ALL OR CC EVERYONE ON THE PLANET!
Be careful with these tools. Although they they are useful, over use is annoying and you may end up on someone’s junk mail folder. You can always spot the “email beginner” because they are CCing, and forwarding everything in sight!

USE SHORTCUTS-NRN and NTN
Avoid getting caught in endless Thank Yous and Confirmations! Add NRN- No Response Necessary and NTN No Thanks Needed to your closing or in the subject line to avoid extra emails in your inbox! Your colleagues will appreciate it and do the same!

RESOLVE TO STOP RESPONDING IMMEDIATELY
Set your email alert to stop chiming or to chime every 30 or 60 minutes. This distraction cost anywhere from 1 to 5 minutes to get the average person back on track. Schedule time to respond to emails periodically throughout the day. If you have a blackberry avoid sending lots of partial replies, rather than a well thought out, complete response. Remember less is more!