Dear Barb:
I receive over 200 emails a day and feel I spend my entire day answering email. How can I manage this and still have time for calls and everything else I need to complete in a day. Emails have become my time management nightmare.
George Z.
Palos Park, IL
Dear George:
Stop answering emails as soon as they arrive. Set aside time first thing in the morning, mid-day and at the end of day to answer email. Email is one of the greatest distractions to results-oriented activities. Email usually represents the priorities of others, not necessarily your priorities.
Turn off the automatic notification that makes the email pop up in the lower right hand corner of your monitor as they arrive!
Use rules to put emails from the same sources automatically into files and make sure you are blocking emails that are junk from entering your inbox. Inform your clients of your email policy and show them how this benefits them. During the day, you are networking for top talent for them, and as a result answer email three times a day. Many of our clients have adopted our email policy because it helps manage the way you utilize your time.
You want to control your destiny by your outgoing calls and email, not incoming!
Barbara J. Bruno, CPC, CST