Comments on: 5 tips on managing insane amounts of e-mail

By: Tom McGee

Tom McGee — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 22:29:08 +0000

Oh yeah, I almost forgot….I really took to heart the tip on keeping emails to 5 sentences or less. I tend to be long-winded and know that is a huge “growth edge” for me personally.
Good reminder of how to be more a more effective communicator…and better coworker.

Thanks

By: Tom McGee

Tom McGee — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 22:25:00 +0000

Danny,
Good point regarding the potential career damaging side-effects. I definitely use that tactic as a last resort and probably should have been more clear about it.

The “rules by people/department” logic is that it is hard to control the rule by subject line…unless there is an existing email thread with definable text. Hence, its hard to automate the control of email by project. However, doing it manually is possible.

Truth is, I’ve really been intentional about trying to learn how to effectively deal with the data saturation via email. I haven’t found a truly reliable solution yet…so I guess I’ll just keep trying things until I’m at least 80% satisfied with the results.

If you have an interest in the lookout add-in for Outlook, I’d be happy to send you the original install file I use. Just email me at tom.mcgee@sage.com

Thanks again for the reply.

By: Danny Sanchez

Danny Sanchez — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 22:05:34 +0000

Hi Tom, that’s interesting that many of your rules are based on the person or department from which it’s coming. That’s an interesting system, especially if there are multiple “problem people” to be dealt with.

On the having people come a second time with requests, I’m personally on the fence about that. Doing that could conceivably lead to a reputation for not being responsive, which can be a career killer.

I’ll have to check out Lookout. Good call keeping the original install file with you.

By: Tom McGee

Tom McGee — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 19:45:55 +0000

I use app called Lookout for the indexing of my Outlook data – It has since been bought and molested by Microsoft, so luckily I kept a copy of the original install file to share and reinstall when needed. It is quick, user-friendly and does NOT consume a noticable amount of resources….unlike the product it was turned into.

My 2 primary weapons in managing the endless influx of email are: Rules and the Favorites folder.

I set up my folders by department – so, if John from Corporate marketing is emailing me, the rule sends his email to the Corp Marketing folder.
The same situation exists for emails from my boss, however, in addition to the rule that sends his emails to his folder, I also have his folder in my Favorites folder lilst. I also changed the attributes on his folder to show me the “count of unread mail”. That way, if an email from him is in his folder, the font is bold and a number of unread emails is shown.

I have to be intentional about who gets added to my favorites folder…as not everyone’s needs are both urgent and important.

From time to time I may add a rule that puts project-oriented emails into a specific project folder. Once the project is over, I revert back to the original configuration of filing emails ‘by department’.

And, oh yeah….the most important tool: DELETE. For the simple fact that I have a finite amount of time I can devote to email management. If the request is not from a “high priority” person or department, the odds are, they will come back to me with another request if I fail to respond to the first. Again, I use this with discretion.

By: Danny Sanchez

Danny Sanchez — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 18:39:21 +0000

Miguel, I liked Xobni too, but I’m on a slower laptop, so I gave up on it since it slowed Outlook down too much for me. However, that doesn’t change the fact that it’s a very cool app.

By: Miguel

Miguel — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 06:54:32 +0000

I quit Google Desktop for Xobni and have never looked back. It is miraculous.

By: Danny Sanchez

Danny Sanchez — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 23:55:27 +0000

Bill, turning off notifications is a FANTASTIC tip! People don’t realize how distracting those things can be until they’re turned off.

Thanks for the great tips.

By: bill wallace

bill wallace — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 23:25:28 +0000

Great tips – here’s a few more:
* turn off notifications – that way you get on with work and aren’t annoyed by visuals, bells and whistles
* make sure you open up in calendar, not inbox
* if you need a response within 24 hours – pick up the phone

By: Tom Duong

Tom Duong — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 21:36:30 +0000

That’s a great tip on using Google Desktop for Outlook when performing searches on Outlook. I do find myself searching often in Outlook, but it takes forever especially when you have so many emails! Thanks!

By: Sherry Skalko

Sherry Skalko — Thu, 14 May 2009 13:46:38 +0000

OK, OK, I admit it, I kinda use my inbox for a to-do list. In gmail, you can turn on multiple box views in Labs. I show just starred items in one view. So when I need to follow up on something, I star it and it’s at the top of that box.

Gina — Good point about admin purging of Outlook. Setting up the personal folders feature moves mail off the server and onto your local hard drive. It’s a beautiful thing!

Sherry

By: Daniel

Daniel — Thu, 14 May 2009 13:17:40 +0000

I can’t say I know many people who use their inbox as a to-do list. Then again, perhaps folks wouldn’t admit it…

I’ve got to organize my inbox better. Right now I just have the general box.

And my personal rule: Why send an e-mail when a phone call would suffice? Or an IM.

By: Gina Chen

Gina Chen — Sun, 03 May 2009 18:06:28 +0000

Great tips.

One caution I would add to tip Number 3 — Use personal folders, and archive e-mail by project —

Be sure you know you’re employer’s purge policy on folders. I was creating folders and putting stuff in them to be organized. But I found out the hard way that my newspaper’s purge date on folders was quicker than in my regular inbox. Lost a bunch of stuff.

Anyway, it’s a great tip, but wanted to pass on my experience.