This week’s video covers techniques for minimizing and eliminating e-mail.
Email Should Never Be Your #1 Priority!
- Email is a never-ending task
- Anyone in the world with Internet access can add to your to-do list
- Email inboxes are not prioritized lists
Add Prioritization to Chaos
- Use Sanebox! seriously, it is amazing!
- 1 “Act Now” Inbox
- 1 “Act on Later” Inbox (SaneLater)
Make Yourself Hard to Email
- Use as few email addresses as possible
- Forward all email to one place
- Relentlessly unsubscribe
Intentionally Be Slow on Email
- Train people that you are slow to respond to email
- Set Expectations on Response Time
- Calls (1 hr)
- Texts (2 hr)
- Emails (1 day)
- Check email a max of 2x times a day (preferably just once!)
Would you like to learn more about Minimalism? I wrote an entire book on the subject! Feel free to learn more about it by clicking here. :-)
That last tip was right on the money. The speed at which you respond to someone is exactly what they expect going forward. Unfortunately, email is a little like shouting into a dark cavernous cave. People get paranoid if they don’t hear back from someone they shouted at who went into that cave. They start to take it personally and it effects the relationship. People need to also remember not to put emotion into emails. We aren’t all award winning novelists so things like humor and sarcasm should be left out. Another great post Danny!!
“Like shouting into a dark cavernous cave”. Nice :-) I like that mental image.
> People need to also remember not to put emotion into emails.
Seriously, the Internet would be a much better place if that happened. :-)
They are very helpful tips however just one point I’d make – being an introvert I actually prefer email to f2f/phone communication. I find people rattle on over the phone or f2f but in an email they have to (usually) be precise in their request/notification otherwise it will just get ignored. Thank you for this though, it’s made me realise email isn’t everything.
Hi Sophie,
Thanks for sharing your perspective. Lacking face to face interaction is a benefit of email that I have never thought about before :-) I usually see that as the source of email related problems. Thanks!