Faster, Fewer, Better Emails

Faster, Fewer, Better Emails: Manage the Volume, Reduce the Stress, Love the Results, by Dianna Booher, Berrett-Koehler 2019

Did you know that 42% of people spend 3 -4 hours a day or more on email, while 17%spend more than 3-4 hours each day! 55% check their mail hourly.

Long title, quick read, just the way we would want our email activity. But how many of us process 100 emails per day or more? Its crazy, and addictive - worse than eating ice cream nightly, and definitely less fun. Author Booher cites studies showing that the average worker receives 111-131 emails per day and spends 2 - 2.5 hours handling them! Many of us have been managing our email traffic the same way we did twenty years ago on clunky networks. The networks and speed (and our jobs and careers) have changed, and we probably need to upgrade our capabilities here too! Here's how:

1. Pay attention to grammar and punctuation, just exactly what Mrs. Clancy, your fourth grade teacher, aka The Screamer, told you. You want to look good. In fact, in a University of Northern Colorado survey conducted in partnership with the Booher Research Institute, 89 percent of respondents reported that a poorly written email with bad grammar, poor structure, or an unclear message reduced the credibility of the sender. Even spelling errors count! Twenty-five percent said that such an email would cause them to reconsider their decision to work with or buy from that sender!

2. Go short or break up long emails, no more than 3 or 4 paragraphs length without adding sub-heads.

3. Be careful with "reply all" replies - a dangerous email multiplier - that hit too many names, especially if your message is intended for only one interested party.

4. Organize and delete. Create files and save when necessary.

5. Security - get clear on security risks and legal liabilities because penalties await! According to Booher, only 41% of users have anti-virus software - living dangerously! 47% do not use a password manager.

Think about it.