Day 3: Improve communication, time management, and workplace stress— organize your email!One thing that stresses me out is my email inbox. It’s like a black hole, the Bermuda Triangle, and the 5th dimension all in one. I miss important messages, lose my tasks, and it is far too easy to let things pile up until it is a major project to get it under control. But email is a vital communication tool. So, what can one do?
Going forward:
- Use the “touch once” model for messages—Read it. Reply to it. File it.
- If you don’t have the time to deal with the message, don’t open it.
- Don’t try to handle every message as it arrives.
- Turn off new mail alerts.
- Schedule a time to process email—every day for ½ an hour after lunch, for example.
- Do as much as you can.
- Handle messages in order.
- Check out some more tips for efficient email use:
- http://email.about.com/od/emailmanagementtips/Email_Productivity_Tips_and_Communication_Skills.htm
- http://www.emailoverload.com/advice/TopTips.php
Using Zimbra tools to clean up the deadwood:
- Change your new mail alerts
- Set up mail filters
- Advanced search – searching by size is extremely useful when you are getting close to your quota!
- Batch delete
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