? Are you tired of searching for e-mail messages you know are somewhere?
? Is your electronic "In Box" full of outdated messages?
? Do you frequently get ultimatums from your IS department to "clean up your act?"
Love it or hate it ? or both! ? e-mail is increasingly the primary method for communicating in today's digital world ? at work and at home. Research shows that introducing e-mail into a company increases printing by 40%.
In seminars, I often ask attendees, "How many of you print out your e-mail?" The vast majority raise their hand ? timidly! But let's face it, sometimes paper is highly practical. Complex proposals, for example, often require discussions where you need a printed copy that result in physical notes, making the electronic e-mail less valuable than the printed out version.
On the other hand, printing out everything is not likely a good solution. The key to managing e-mail is determining when to keep hard copy and when to keep electronic copy, keeping in mind that sometimes both may be practical. In the case described above, for example, the printed version has value for discussion, and the electronic version has value for creating new versions after the discussion. In either event, the principles of The Paper Tiger methodology will improve communication and increase productivity.
6 Tips for Sending E-mail Your Recipients Will Love:
1. Use the Subject line to clearly describe the topic of your e-mail. This is helpful for the recipient, and for you if you want to find a message you've sent.
2. Include only one subject per e-mail message. This method will greatly simplify e-mail filing and retrieval.
3. For a lengthy or complicated e-mail, create the e-mail in your word processing program and then copy to your e-mail. If you have an e-mail glitch during the sending process, you can easily retrieve your message!
4. When replying to any e-mail, attach enough of the old message for the recipient to remember the content of the original e-mail, but delete unnecessary information or duplication.
5. Avoid sending e-mail attachments whenever possible. Receivers are becoming more reluctant to open attachments due to the increasing prevalence of viruses that can come through attachments. In some instances, you may send an attachment, and include the attachment in the body of the e-mail, with the explanation that the attachment will have better formatting, but the recipient could get the gist of the message without opening the attachment.
6. Consider using your contact management software (such as ACT!) to send all of your outgoing e-mail. With many programs, you can attach your outgoing e-mail messages to the recipients, and other related contacts, and they will automatically appear in the Out Box of your e-mail program.
9 Tips for Managing Your Incoming E-mail:
1. To avoid an overflowing e-mail In Box, create folders. For example, you might have folders for each of your direct reports, for each project, for a committee which you chair, and for subjects of particular interest. (For example, I have a folder "statistics" since I frequently need that info for the media.)
2. Whenever you open your incoming e-mail, apply The FAT System? (File-Act-Toss) to each e-mail.
3. If you aren't sure you need it, toss it! Unlike a paper wastebasket, you can always retrieve e-mail from electronic trash by using the "Find Message" feature available in most e-mail programs. (If the company empties the trash without your knowledge, create a folder called "My Trash.")
4. Apply the "2-Do Rule" whenever possible. If you can reply in 2 minutes, then do it right away. It will take longer to file it and retrieve it again than to "just do it!"
5. For e-mail that takes more time to reply, either leave them in Inbox or file in an appropriate folder such as "Action"or "Reply."
6. If you use Paper Tiger Permanent Action Files for managing your paper (Call, Discuss, On-Line, etc.), you can use it to file the paper copy of e-mail that requires your action, such as "Discuss with John."
7. For e-mail you want to keep in electronic format, drag to the appropriate folder as described in Tip #1.
8. If you need or want a paper copy of an e-mail for future reference, print it out and file it in your paper management system, i.e. Paper Tiger, so you can find it again in 5 seconds or less!
9. After you have finished with an e-mail folder (such as a specific project), you can store it on a floppy or ZIP disk in case you need it later.
Do you have some "tricks of the trade" I didn't describe, or have questions about the ones I suggested, feel free to e-mail me - I love to hear from you.
© Barbara Hemphill is the author of Kiplinger's Taming the Paper Tiger at Work and Taming the Paper Tiger at Home and co-author of Love It or Lose It: Living Clutter-Free Forever. The mission of Hemphill Productivity Institute is to help individuals and organizations create and sustain a productive environment so they can accomplish their work and enjoy their lives. We do this by organizing space, information, and time. We can be reached at 800-427-0237 or at www.ProductiveEnvironment.com
![]() |
|
![]() |
|
![]() |
|
![]() |
If you have auto response system set up for following... Read More
In a fast moving global economy, e-mail offers you the... Read More
One of the most effective methods of advertising your e-zine... Read More
There are more than 100 million e-mail users in the... Read More
Marketing your business with email is an art.It's very easy... Read More
E-Mail is still the most widely used Internet tool available... Read More
Following up with your past customers is a proven way... Read More
Developing and executing a successful e-mail marketing campaign is becoming... Read More
An autoresponder course is a group of articles or information... Read More
The #1 Thing You *MUST* Have Before Even Thinking About... Read More
I remember reading time and time again when I first... Read More
After endless hours of writing, designing and programming your brand... Read More
Just about every successful Internet Marketer will tell you that,... Read More
Whenever we talk to a new or a "we hope... Read More
Website promotion is certainly a main focus of all business... Read More
WHY BUILD YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS DATABASE? Gaining your customers' email... Read More
If I sent you an email that said: "The Big... Read More
Let me ask you a question, "What is the most... Read More
If you design kitchens, is another kitchen designer your competition?... Read More
It seems that Google is revolutionizing the Net in more... Read More
Email is a vital part of doing business online, but... Read More
Most Websites are gathering e-mail addresses. When you submit your... Read More
Technology has a tendency to be impersonal and unfriendly -... Read More
One of the biggest concerns for Realtors who publish their... Read More
Whether you've got 100 or 100,000 people on your email... Read More
I bet you want to know what that one great... Read More
Email newsletters are an excellent means of promoting the products... Read More
White space in newsletters is like pausing in conversation. Take... Read More
No doubt email is still the best way to get... Read More
If you are serious about adding email to your marketing... Read More
Tired of silly old email enquiries? Say hello to autoresponders!If... Read More
Most people now know the official definition of spam- Unsolicited... Read More
Computer viruses are usually a bad thing. They can compromise... Read More
1. Collect leads with your autoresponder. You will get an... Read More
Following up with your past customers is a proven way... Read More
There are several ways to ensure that your adverts are... Read More
Website owners are always on the lookout for new ways... Read More
Congratulations, you just made a sale!Congratulations, you just made a... Read More
White space in newsletters is like pausing in conversation. Take... Read More
So, why would you want to send your campaigns out... Read More
There probably isn't a business person alive who hasn't at... Read More
In the world of ecommerce, millions of sites are fiercely... Read More
E-mail promotion Internet marketing can help your home-based business expand... Read More
If I sent you an email that said: "The Big... Read More
When I was first introduced to an autoresponder I thought... Read More
Type "email etiquette" into the search bar of any popular... Read More
Does it seem to you that when you view "openings"... Read More
If you've written numerous articles, you can use them to... Read More
Any business today, be it online or off needs a... Read More
Learning to write more effective e-mail is a valuable skill... Read More
=> Wise Way #1 - OFFER A FREEBIEYou have to... Read More
1. When you make your first sale, you need to... Read More
You may remember a time before there was email?a time... Read More
-- Email Appending and ECOA Match Rates Revealed --NEWTON, MA,... Read More
One of the underlying benefits of smart autoresponders is that... Read More
Whether a company sells light fixtures to large corporations or... Read More
Years ago, when email was just emerging as the incredible... Read More
If you are a REALTOR focused on residential sales who... Read More
This interview is with Michael Murray, the author of a... Read More
Advantages of the free mailing listsThe free newsletters are a... Read More
Free email accounts are great if you want to hide... Read More
Do you read all your Ezines? Or do you file... Read More
A chained auto-responder is a sequence of emails that gets... Read More
Many companies begin their online sales ventures with the wrong... Read More
When it comes to gaining and keeping customers, every website... Read More
The saying "Quality, not Quantity" is applicable even to the... Read More
Email Marketing |