study – email folders

by dave on January 31, 2012

It’s probably just reinforcing what I already think, but a recent study has suggested that all those email folders you’re using are a waste of time.

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Email – keep improving

by dave on January 29, 2012

As we draw near the end of this series, it’s worth reflecting on what “constant improvement” would look like at email.

Is it an increased volume of email, or are you getting better at other forms of communication, so the volume is reduced?

Is it less time spent in your email client, or less time spent searching for things, and more time working productively?

Are you continuing to learn new tricks and tips for getting the most out of email, or are you getting stagnant?

Keep improving – there’s more to life than email, but there’s more time for life when you’re great at email.

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email as your backup brain

January 28, 2012

As you get on top of the email that’s coming into you, and are used to filing things away for later, it’s possible that you can find extra ways to take advantage of having a private, medium-term filing system.
When you think of an idea to follow up later, you can email it to yourself: start [...]

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is it too late to learn more about email?

January 26, 2012

I mentioned this writing project to a friend, and she suggested that I’m a bit too late to the party – that communication technology has moved on from email, and that spending time thinking about email is too little too late.
I don’t think that’s quite true.
The lessons to be learned in looking at email can [...]

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using email to help with meetings

January 25, 2012

I’m amazed at how often – with cheap tablet computers and ultrabooks available readily- meeting notes are recorded on paper, only to be laboriously written up after the meeting, and emailed around to everyone. People are still worried about the overflow of technology into day-to-day life.
Or – if someone has an electronic device in a [...]

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using email to keep a written record (2/2)

January 24, 2012

When you’re trying to keep a clear inbox the biggest challenge is keeping track of those situations where the next step in a project is to receive input from someone else.
This is fine for some people – the ones you know are reliable and will get back to you in a timely fashion, but there [...]

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Using email to keep a written record of communication (1/2)

January 23, 2012

Perhaps it’s been a dream run for me in my working life to-date, but I haven’t had many situations where I have needed a paper trail to explain my actions.
You might not have been so fortunate.
Sometimes, a Machiavellian manager or coworker may give you verbal instructions to proceed with some course of action and then, [...]

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email and read receipts

January 22, 2012

When watching a courtroom drama kind of movie, there’s usually a scene where a subpoena is issued. Someone chases the person down, and makes sure they’re physically handed the papers, so that a record can be kept that the document has received.
In some situations, it’s a necessary thing, but it’s not much fun for the [...]

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email – handling a big list

January 21, 2012

When you’re sending emails to a group of people, there are a number of tasks that you need to be across.

Putting together the list of people and keeping it up to date
Sending a message to the list
Handling any follow-up tasks that come from the message
Ensuring that everyone on the list who was asked for a [...]

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email basics – To, CC, BCC

January 20, 2012

Imagine my surprise to be explaining what I thought was the basics to someone today. And yet, how many of us think about the history of messaging when we look at the standard boxes at the top of every email that we send.
In the days of office messaging, a typewriter was the standard device for [...]

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