I just spent an hour on the phone with several clients and possible clients…it was productive and I wouldn’t have gained nearly as much if I had tried to conduct these conversations via email.
Too often we are tethered to our mobile devices and feel like we have to immediately get to every email. That’s just untrue and not productive.
Here are 3 tips to help you more effectively handle your email communications so you can get more real work done…
1. If you see an email chain getting started, have a phone call…
It seems like people are a little afraid of the phone as a communication device these days, preferring to email and feel like they have achieved something because they have emailed 25 times when a 5-10 minute phone call would have been more productive and would have allowed you to get your work moving.
So pick up the phone.
2. Set a personal email policy…
I remember the days when Tim Ferriss’s email system was the rage. While I don’t know if I would advocate using an auto responder like that…just because you like to create an environment where people can feel comfortable reaching out to you, you also don’t want to be a slave to email.
So what I advocate is that you set up a personal policy. Something like, I will check email once midmorning, once before or after lunch, and twice by the end of the day. Then, as you go forward knowing you are only going to check email 3-4 times a day, you can begin informing people that you are much easier to reach by phone or whatever you want.
This isn’t to deny access, it is to cut down on the number of pointless emails that you needlessly assign priority to.
3. Be Flexible…
Nothing is absolute. That includes this list of ways to control your email. As more and more people talk about digital detox and not letting their inbox control their lives, it is important to know that you are in control.
So if you have an important email that you are waiting on and you find yourself checking your email every 5 minutes or so…hey, that’s cool. Just don’t let it be a constant thing.
What do you think? Let me know.