The WWW of Mastering Email Overload webinar slideshow

The www of
Mastering
E-mail Overload
Halve the time,
double your results and
triple your productivity
when using e-mail
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

Mastery
Smart
Effective
Survival
Overloaded / Overwhelmed
Mastery Model

How does your
organisation measure
how effectively your
people currently use
their e-mail?

“White collar workers
waste 40% of their day
not because they are not smart
but because they were never
taught the organising skills to
function in the modern
workplace!”
Wall Street Journal

eProductivity Benchmark Survey
Survey Question
Benchmark
Average
PCE
How many e-mails do you receive on average each day? 37 16
How many e-mails do you send (new messages and replies) on average each day 25 12
What ratio or percentage of e-mail do you receive internally (i.e. from colleagues)
compared to e-mail from external sources?
66% 43%
What percentage of received e-mails require an action from you (as opposed to
simply being read or filed)?
57% 53%
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% 30%
What percentage of the e-mails you receive are immediately clear to you on the
meaning of their message?
70% 69%
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% 31%
How many e-mails are left in your In-box right now? 1267 3838
How much time do you spend processing e-mail each day? 2.31 hrs 1.75 hrs
How much is this time worth on an annual basis (per person)? $28,031 $16,490
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
2.38 2.00

1
Getting no response to your e-mail when you send a message that
clearly requires a response (or the response is too slow)
2
Procrastinators who wait till last minute to request something from you
(when they’ve had ample time) and then they say it’s not their fault …
3 Subject lines that are unclear or don’t match the message
4
People who call you instead of checking their e-mail when you’ve
already sent the information they needed/requested
5 People trying to resolve complex issues via e-mail
6
E-mail interruptions when you’re working on other, higher priority
tasks
7
People who ‘CC’ you (and everybody else just to “cover their butt”
(CYA) – whether you needed to know or not.
8
People who send last minute meeting cancellations by e-mail which
you don’t get till AFTER you’ve arrived for the meeting
9
Auto-responders that don’t mean anything eg: “Thanks for your
message. I will respond as soon as I can”
10 People using abbreviations, shortcuts and ‘jargon’ such as 4U, Gr8 etc
11
People who send non-work related messages that clutter up your in-
box and distract you from your work
12 People who use Read Receipt on everything they send you
13
Attachments that come without any explanation in the body of the
message, so you don’t know what they are about
14 Bad grammar, spelling and punctuation
15
Others replying to your message without including the previous
message (so that you can’t remember what the original issue is)
16
Needless, one-line responses to your message, like “‘thanks”, “OK”,
“you’re welcome” etc
17 Too many attachments or attachments that are too big
5.41
4.83
4.78
4.49
3.58
3.71
3.95
4.39
3.66
3.94
3.56
3.11
3.35
3.08
2.84
3.44
3.02
eProductivity Benchmark Survey
6.25
4.75
4.38
3.88
3.13
3.13
2.75
2.38
2.38
2.25
2.25
2.13
1.88
1.88
1.63
1.50
1.38

So . . . .
what’s the
solution?

The Solution

The www of
Mastering
Email
Overload
When
What
Where

Think Fridays
No e-mail Fridays / SLAs / Quiet Hour
Removed ‘Reply ALL’ button
Solving Info Overload as a
competitive advantage
Stopped Blackberry servers sending
email 6:15pm-7:00am
plan to ban internal email by February
2014 (announcement has already
reduced volumes by 20%)
What companies are doing to combat
email & information overload

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

When
Nathan Zeldes
Timothy Ferriss
The #1
solution to
information
overload

Impact of email
interruptions
Average amount of time
between interruptions?
Average amount of time
working on a task or project
before switching to another?
Percentage of occasions a
project/task is not resumed for
that day?
3 mins
11 mins
40 %

Impact of email
interruptions

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?

‘Single tasking’ email
versus
‘multi-tasking’

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.

Multi-tasking

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

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

Email
Tasks
http://pomodorotechnique.com

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

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

Email
Tasks
Once per
hour
8+ times
per day!

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

Shift your working paradigm

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

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

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

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

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

How promptly do you expect to
respond to email that you
RECEIVE?
Manage Expectations
Send Receive
Immediately 2.2%
22.1%
6.7%
23.3%
Within 2 to 4 hours 20.0% 16.6%
Same day 35.7%
65.4%
42.2%
68.0%
Next day (ie: within 24 hrs) 29.7% 25.8%
Within 2 days 8.9%
12.5%
6.8%
8.7%
Within 3 days 3.5% 1.9%

TimeValue
Quality
The Customer Service Interaction

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

Manage Expectations

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’
people remember
incomplete or
interrupted tasks
better than
completed tasks

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

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

1. DITCH / DELETE
2. DEAL (2 mins)
3. DELEGATE
4. DECIDE
• WHERE - File (Move to a Folder / File along with)
• WHEN - Convert to a Task or Calendar item
• WAIT - Add to a Watch List (pending reply)
Use the 4D methodology

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

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

Pesticide
Insecticide
Genocide
Homocide
Suicide
Decide !!!

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

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

3204
emails
processed in
30 minutes
by
12 people
May 2014

9635
emails
processed in
25 minutes
by
8 people
February 2015

4004
emails
processed in
25 minutes
by
40 people
November
2013

9635
emails
processed in
25 minutes
by
8 people
May 2014

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

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

• All staff
• Newsletters/ezines
• Personal
• Google ‘alerts’
• _______?

Clarify expectations
& parameters
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

3. Where
Where to quickly file each email

3. Where
• Reduce mailbox size

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

Reduce mailbox size

Reduce mailbox size
IN
FOLDE
R
SIZE

3. Where
• Use links instead of
attachments

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?

attachments
Size
Speed
Version control
Security
Compatability
Attachments Links

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

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

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

Simplify Email Folder Structure
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

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

Ask me a
question

Stay in touch and up-to-date
www.emailtiger.com.au
Steuart G. Snooks
Email Strategist &
Productivity Expert
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