There are only 24 in a day. Everyone gets the same cut but what you do with it makes a difference. We are surrounded by time thieves and you probably will not be surprised that one of the biggest ones is an EMAIL.
What is the first thing you do in the morning (after certain necessities like ... drinking coffee, of course) or maybe getting behind your office desk? Admit it - you cannot wait to see who actually tries to get your attention in the cyberspace.
Email could be one of the biggest time wasters if not controlled by a little planning and a bit of organization.
So let's not waste any more time and apply these few simple steps to 'buy' you some extra time.
1. Set a limit how many times daily you will check your email - select 3 to 4 times. If possible do not keep your email open unless you expect something important. Otherwise you will en up an EMAIL SLAVE.
2. Set up a separate email accounts (Google, Yahoo, etc) for your personal use. By doing so you are not clogging your business email.
3. Set up folders - to save search time for a specific email and keep your letters, docs, recipes, etc all separate. This is an easy task in Outlook
-
- On left click FILE
- from drop down menu choose FOLDER and then NEW
- choose name for folder
- make sure that the MAIL and POST ITEMS is selected
- when finished reading an email right click on it, choose MOVE TO FOLDER, then select appropriate folder where you want to move your email - click OK; you just stored your email
4. To manage you emails (to store them automatically in an appropriate folder) - use FILTER/RULES and folder together:
- in the toolbar choose TOOLS; left click and from drop down menu right click on RULES & ALERTS
- choose NEW RULE - this starts Rule Wizard; the Wizard offers a variety of choices; a very easy action is to select MOVE MESSAGES FROM SOMEONE TO A FOLDER; if you receive emails often from a particular sender that's where they can be stored automatically. These emails will not 'land' in your INBOX but go directly to a specified folder
- there are options to put specific emails directly where they belong - TRASH!
With smiles,
Bo in Yukon
Bo in Yukon
Experience isn't expensive, it's PRICELESS!
Hello Bo in Yukon,
Good info. You know something as simple as setting up client folders had been a huge help to me personally.
Hi Lynda in Brea - thanks for stopping by ... good point ... I really work hard on KISS ...
with smiles,
Bo in Yukon
Hi Bo, the filters and folders work great to get organized. I wrote a similar thought on email here this past week and I am convinced depending on the number of emails you get a day that checking it 3 or 4 times a day is not enough anymore. Too much work for that 3 or 4 time periods. My recommendation is to get a Smartphone when you can afford the 2 yr data plan and check emails THROUGHOUT the day. It is the way the world is headed with information overload. Personally I don't like the separate email accounts unless you can have them forward to one account to read. Too many places to go and log into but I understand the concept you are talking about with keeping business and personal separate.
Gary - good to hear from you...I understand your point...probably majority of us are this way - we only choose things which work best for us ... I hoped that the post would inspire someone to actually think and take action about email handling...
with smiles,
Bo in Yukon
All good ideas -- and also do everything possible to eliminate spam .
Just found your blog today...interesting reads...I love "How To" type of posts, so I will be checking back :-)
Christine - thank you... I hope to talk to you soon! How is the market in beautiful San Diego? Is it getting better?
With smiles,
Bo in Yukon
Bo - Depends "which" market...and who you're talking to! LOL I'm an optimist though :-)
Christine...
I am pretty sure you will have awesome sales...it has been said many times that fortunes are made in tough times!
With smiles,
Bo in Yukon
I confess. I'm an email slave. But I have to pat myself on the back. I can now click on "delete" without reading if I know it is from someone who just "forwards" everything to their address book.
Sandra....learn and adapt, learn and adapt...LOL...good for you girl...I know how it feels when I use this DELETE button...
With smiles,
Bo in Yukon
Hi Bo,
I really couldn't agree with you more. Thank you for reminding me not to be an "email slave!" My husband will thank you!
- Temple
It's hard to remember how our days were structured before we had all of this email to check! I've been using a blackberry since Feb. '08 and I like being able to see quickly what has come in. I can decide to read the unimportant messages later. It has actually made me more efficient seeing the email right away rather than only checking it 3 or 4 times per day, but that's just me.
Chris - I think that checking email on the phone is somehow less time consuming...perhaps because we just check what we received, glance if it is importand and do not go further to check any links etc, etc...
With smiles,
Bo in Yukon