If you liked our blog “5 Ways to Hack Your Work, So You Can Have a Life,” (read it here ) you probably noticed our strong stand on email. I just came across this ancient (2006) post by GTD founder David Allen. He suggests it’s not the amount of email that’s the problem (and maybe it wasn’t back in 2006…), it’s the fact that every email potentially represents something you need to know or do.
Amen, brother David.
Since so much email is poorly contructed, it becomes our job as recipients to distill the meaning of the email. (Am I the only person who’s annoyed that anyone can send me an email, and then it’s my job to figure out what the hell they want?)
Email’s not going away, so we may as well learn to domesticate it, so that it purrs like a kitten in our lap. Here are three ideas to help you tame your interoffice email.
1. Use the first word of the subject line to signal to the recipient what they should do. We use these in our office and they work fabulously:
- Use “RSVP” - when you need the recipient to take action and respond to you by a certain date, e.g. “RSVP by Wed Noon: Proofread report for ICT”
- Use “ACT” - when you need the recipient to take action, but he/she doesn’t need to respond to you, e.g. “ACT: Mail 35 books to UW-Oshkosh”
- Use “FYI” - when you don’t need a response and you don’t care if the person takes action, e.g. “FYI-An Article on Baby Boomers that you might like”
- Use “URGENT” - when you need an immediate response. (I admit, this is rarely used in our office anymore; we simply text each other when something’s time sensitive.)
2. Keep it short. Since most decision-makers (e.g. your boss) get your emails on their Blackberries, they don’t want to read a long email. Check out http://four.sentenc.es for inspiration.
3. Don’t use email when:
- You’re trying to resolve a conflict. Man-up and get some face time or phone time.
- You need to make a complex decision. Some decisions need the team’s brain and real-time communication. Make a pot of coffee instead, and use email to invite people to enjoy a cup while you talk things through.
- You’re pissed. Flaming emails make you look unprofessional and worse, your bitchy coworker is going to keep a copy of it forever, to use against you later to prove that she deserves the promotion instead of you.
I’d love to hear - and use - your email best practices so comment here, or email them to me: rr@nextgenerationconsulting.com. Make sure you use an appropriate Subject Line. :)
