Taming the Email Tiger: How to Make Your Work Flow

Taming the Email Tiger:
How to Make Your Work
Flow
3 life-changing email strategies that will revolutionise the way you work
Steuart Snooks
E-mail Strategist &
Productivity Expert
www.emailtiger.com.au

Today’s agenda
 The impact of e-mail ‘overload’
 3 strategic ‘Best Practice’ strategies
 W hen
 W hat
 W here
 9 specific actions &
more than 27 ideas &
practical tips
Solutions for Success 2015 www.emailtiger.com.au

Pace of Information
Overload

“These days, e-mail is
probably the biggest
time waster and source
of frustration in
modern working life.”
Timothy Ferriss
The Four Hour Work Week

Interruptions
Loss of
focus
Multi-tasking
Poor
decision-
making
Lack of
‘think’ time
Workload
planning &
management
Communication
effectiveness
Chronic
distraction
Meeting
effectiveness
Manager/
subordinate
relationships
Impact of Email
Lowered
IQ
Mental
health &
well-being
Work-life
balance
Stress
Quality
of life

www.emailtiger.com.au/special-report

eProductivity Audit Survey Results
Survey Question
Benchmark
Average*
How many e-mails do you receive on average each day? 37
How many e-mails do you send (new messages and replies) on average each day 26
What ratio or percentage of e-mail do you receive internally (i.e. from colleagues) compared to
e-mail from external sources?
66%
What percentage of received e-mails require an action from you (as opposed to simply being
read or filed)?
58%
What percentage of incoming e-mail is NOT directly related to your workplace role and tasks
(i.e.: you receive them as are ‘cc’ or ‘bcc)’?
26%
What percentage of the e-mails you receive are immediately clear to you on the meaning of
their message?
71%
What percentage of e-mails you receive have a message which would be better handled by
face-to-face contact or a phone call?
30%
How many e-mails are left in your In-box right now (per person)? 1368
How much time do you spend processing e-mail each day (per person)? 2.32 hrs
How much is this time worth on an annual basis (per person)? $27,913
How often during the day do you check your Inbox?
1. Most of the time 4. At several planned times
2. Whenever they arrive 5. At 1 or 2 planned times
3. Randomly throughout day 6. Infrequently
2.35
Solutions for Success 2015 www.emailtiger.com.au* Average for all surveys since March 2006
Benchmark averages as
at May 2015

Results of Survey of Academic Staff
Survey of 471 staff at the
University of Adelaide, called
“Employees’ perceptions of email
communication, volume and management
strategies in an Australian university”
Published in the Journal of Higher Education
Policy and Management
http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/news/subject-how-to-
master-your-inbox/2019756.article

Results of Survey of Academic Staff
Survey found that academics tended to;
•get more emails
•feel more overwhelmed by them
•less likely to employ email management
strategies (such as sorting into separate
folders)
than did support staff

“Executives are lumbered with two
overlapping workdays:
a formal one full of meetings and an
informal one spent trying to keep up
with the torrent of emails and
messages.”

Mastery
Smart
Effective
Survival
Overloaded / Overwhelmed
Mastery Model

What can we
do about it?

The Solution

The www of
Mastering
Email
Overload
When
What
Where

1.When
Control when you
do and when you
do NOT look at
your email
The Three Strategies . . .

1.When
• Schedule times to check
e-mail (rather than
react as they arrive)

Schedule times to
check email
When
What
Where
The www of
Mastering
Email
Overload

Nathan Zeldes
Timothy Ferriss
The #1
solution to
information
overload
W
hen

Eliminate E-mail ‘as an interruption’
W
hen

Multi-tasking
As a result of constant
interruptions, do you find
that you start to multi-task?
Do you often have 2 or 3
files open on your desk?
Does your computer often
have 4 or 5 windows (or
more) open at once?
W
hen

‘Single tasking’ email
versus
‘multi-tasking’
W
hen

Multi-tasking is a Myth
Think of attention as
the beam of a flashlight
Try as you might, you can never
shine the light on two separate objects
simultaneously. What you are doing is
rapidly switching the beam back and
forth between the objects.
W
hen

Multi-tasking
NIZ
No Interruption Zones
•Buses – don’t talk to driver
•Airlines – ‘Sterile Cockpit Rule’
•Hospitals – NIZ at medicine preparation stations
(significant reduction in medication errors (up to
40%)
W
hen

Multi-tasking
NIZ
No Interruption Zones
•Buses – don’t talk to driver
•Airlines – ‘Sterile Cockpit Rule’
•Hospitals – NIZ at medicine preparation stations
(significant reduction in medication errors (up to
40%)
NIW
No Interruption Wear
•Distinctive colored coat, vest, sash, hat/cap or
headphones
W
hen

W
hen
Addiction
• Short-term gratification
• Dopamine hit
Dave Coplin – ‘The Rise of The Humans’

Best times to check email?
Email
Tasks
‘Single-task’
not
‘Multi-task’
W
hen

Email
Tasks
http://pomodorotechnique.com
W
hen

Email
TasksTasks
Email
Twice per hour
16+ times per day!
W
hen

Email
TasksTasks
Email
Email
Tasks
Email
Tasks
Tasks
Email
Even better - do tasks first, then email
W
hen

Email
Tasks
Once per
hour
8+ times
per day!
W
hen

Research shows that for most people, in most office-based roles,
checking e-mail at 4 planned times a day (to a max of 45 mins each
time) allows you to turn all e-mail around in a 24 hour period.
1
2
3
4
W
hen

7 Reasons Why You Should NOT Check Email
First Thing in the Morning?
1: The inbox is NOT your to-do list
2: Starting with email makes you REactive rather than PROactive
3: Ignorance is bliss!
4: Avoids short-term gratification to achieve longer term results
5: Checking e-mail is an excuse for a lack of priorities
6: Your morning energy and alertness should be directed to
higher priorities
7: Controls unmanaged and unspoken expectations
W
hen

Shift your working paradigm
W
hen

Research shows that for most people, in most office-based roles,
checking e-mail at 4 planned times a day (to a max of 45 mins each
time) allows you to turn all e-mail around in a 24 hour period.
Early in the day, as ‘second thing’ (after
checking your calendar!1
2
3
4
About 30-45 minutes before your lunch
break (NOT mid-morning)
Any time that suits you during the afternoon
About 30-45 minutes before you finish
for the day
W
hen

W
hen

1.When
e-mail (rather than be
interrupted)
• Turn off e-mail alerts
W
hen

Schedule times to
check email
Turn off all
email alerts
When
What
Where
The www of
Mastering
Email
Overload

Turn off ALL e-mail alerts in Outlook
W
hen

Turn off ALL e-mail alerts in gmail
W
hen

1.When
e-mail (rather than be
interrupted)
• Turn off e-mail alerts
• Manage expectations
W
hen

Schedule times to
check email
Turn off all
email alerts
Manage
expectations
When
What
Where
The www of
Mastering
Email
Overload

My New Personal E-mail Policy
In an effort to increase my personal productivity and efficiency I am implementing a new
approach to managing my email. I have recently come to understand that I spend too
much time shuffling through a stack of emails in my inbox and not enough time focusing
on my real work, that is, the stuff I'm actually paid to do! Email has become an
unnecessary distraction that is creating longer lead times on my ever-growing 'to-do' list.
Consequently, I have decided that serious change is required. Therefore, I will now only be
checking and responding to my email at approx. noon and 4pm on weekdays. I shall try to
get back to you via email in a timely manner and will most certainly be handling my email
in a way that is seen as professional and responsive. Therefore, if you need a response
from me outside of these times, please do call me on my mobile number. It'd be good to
hear your voice anyway - much more personal than electronic mail!
I trust my new approach to email helps you get the most out of me. For my part, I believe
it will allow me to spend more time on productive work output and creating value for my
organisation. Thanks greatly; I'm looking forward to putting email back where it belongs;
supporting my work, not driving it!
Managing Expectations
W
hen

Manage Expectations
W
hen

2.What
What to do with each email

2.What
• Handle each email
ONLY ONCE

Schedule times to
check email
Turn off all
email alerts
Manage
expectations
Handle each
message only once
When
What
Where
The www of
Mastering
Email
Overload

The ‘Ziegarnik Effect’
Bluma Zeigarnik
Soviet psychologist
1920s
W
hat

The ‘Ziegarnik Effect’
people remember
incomplete or
interrupted tasks
better than
completed tasks
W
hat

When tomorrow?
W
hat

2.What
ONLY ONCE
• Use the proven 4D
method
W
hat

Schedule times to
check email
Turn off all
email alerts
Manage
expectations
Use the 4D
methodology
When
What
Where
The www of
Mastering
Email
Overload
Handle each
message only once

The Paradox of Choice
W
hat

1: DITCH / DELETE
2: DEAL
3: DELEGATE
4: DECIDE
Use the 4D methodology
W
hat

1: DITCH / DELETE
W
hat

Ditch or Delete
• Spam

Ditch or Delete
• Spam
• Bacon / Gray mail

Ditch or Delete
• Spam
• Bacon / Gray mail
• Transactional

1: DITCH / DELETE
2: DEAL (2 mins)
W
hat

The 2 Minute Rule
If the next action on anything can be
completed, where you are now, in
two minutes or less, do it right then
(if you’re ever going to do it at all).
If you’re never going to do it,
then delete it . . . right now!.

The 2 Minute Rule
Keep up with all
your reading

1: DITCH / DELETE
2: DEAL (2 mins)
3: DELEGATE
W
hat

1: DITCH / DELETE
2: DEAL (2 mins)
3: DELEGATE
4: DECIDE
W
hat

Pesticide
Insecticide
Genocide
Homocide
Suicide
Decide !!!
W
hat

1. DITCH / DELETE
2. DEAL (2 mins)
3. DELEGATE
4. DECIDE
• WHERE - File (Move to a Folder / File along with)
W
hat

1. DITCH / DELETE
2. DEAL (2 mins)
3. DELEGATE
4. DECIDE
• WHEN - Convert to a Task or Calendar item
W
hat

W
hat

1. DITCH / DELETE
2. DEAL (2 mins)
3. DELEGATE
4. DECIDE
• WHEN - Convert to a Task or Calendar item
• WAIT - Add to a Watch List (pending reply)
W
hat

W
hat
Email ‘overload’ is NOT so
much about volume as it is . . .

W
hat
Email ‘overload’ is NOT so
much about volume as it is . . .
A lack of a process or system

W
hat
And 4D is a process that works
. . . . powerfully!

The 4D methodology works!
1105
emails
processed in
20 minutes
by
8 people
using the
4D method
March 2014
W
hat

9635
emails
processed in
25 minutes
by
8 people
May 2014
February 2015
W
hat

3204
emails
processed in
30 minutes
by
12 people
May 2014
W
hat

9635
emails
processed in
25 minutes
by
8 people
February 2015
W
hat

4004
emails
processed in
25 minutes
by
40 people
November
2013
W
hat

9635
emails
processed in
25 minutes
by
8 people
May 2014
W
hat

The 4D methodology

2.What
ONLY ONCE
• Use the proven 4D
method
• Use rules to automate
processes
W
hat

Schedule times to
check email
Turn off all
email alerts
Manage
expectations
Automate with
rules
Use the 4D
methodology
When
What
Where
The www of
Mastering
Email
Overload
Handle each
message only once

Use rules to automate processes
the
‘cc rule’
W
hat

W
hat

• All staff
• Newsletters/ezines
• Personal
• Google ‘alerts’
• Redirect to PA/EA
• _______?
W
hat

3. Where
Where to quickly file each email

3. Where
• Reduce mailbox size
W
here

Schedule times to
check email
Turn off all
email alerts
Manage
expectations
Automate with
rules
Use the 4D
methodology
When
What
Where
The www of
Mastering
Email
Overload
Handle each
message only once
Reduce your
mailbox size

According to research by Permessa, based
on 15 years of experience with leading
global enterprises,
80% of email volume
comes from just 4% of
messages
which, in turn, typically comes from just
1% of the user community.
Reduce mailbox size
W
here

Reduce mailbox size
W
here

Reduce mailbox size
IN
FOLDE
R
SIZE
W
here

3. Where
• Use links instead of
attachments
W
here

Schedule times to
check email
Turn off all
email alerts
Manage
expectations
Automate with
rules
Use the 4D
methodology
When
What
Where
The www of
Mastering
Email
Overload
Handle each
message only once
Reduce your
mailbox size
Document links
not attachments

Use document links instead of attachments
What are some of the
disadvantages of
sending attachments?
W
here

Size
Speed
Version control
Security
Compatability
Attachments Links
W
here

disadvantages of
sending attachments?
advantages of using
document links?
W
here

3. Where
• Use links instead of
attachments
• Simplify your email
folder structure
W
here

Schedule times to
check email
Turn off all
email alerts
Manage
expectations
Automate with
rules
Use the 4D
methodology
When
What
Where
The www of
Mastering
Email
Overload
Handle each
message only once
Reduce your
mailbox size
Document links
not attachments
Simplify email
folder structure

Simplify Email Folder Structure
W
here

1: Separate
‘finished’
from
‘unfinished’
work
Outlook 2007
Filing cabinet
1 External/clients
2 Internal/team
3 Projects/output
4 Admin
Outlook 2010
W
here

Outlook 2007
Filing cabinet
1 External/clients
2 Internal/team
3 Projects/output
4 Admin
Outlook 2010
1: Separate
‘finished’
from
‘unfinished’
work
2: Create
4 or 5
‘primary’
folders
W
here

Schedule times to
check email
Turn off all
email alerts
Manage
expectations
Document links
not attachments
Reduce your
mailbox size
Simplify email
folder structure
Clarify expectations
& parameters
Automate with
rules
Use the 4D
methodology
When
What
Where
The www of
Mastering
Email
Overload

Stay in touch and up-to-date
www.emailtiger.com.au
Steuart G. Snooks
Email Strategist &
Productivity Expert
Conference presentations
E-mail audits/surveys
Consulting & advice
Keynote speaking
Research papers
Workshops
Blog posts
Audio CDs
Webinars
Seminars
Coaching
E-books
Articles
Ideas
Tips

eProductivity
1:1 Coaching
on-line or face-to-face
hands-on at your computer
90 mins with option for another 60 mins
coaching scheduled at a time and space that’s
convenient for you
a tailored approach to address what you need
to know and action right now

Ask me a
question

Taming the Email Tiger: How to Make Your Work Flow

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