Maybe your E-mails Aren’t the Real Problem

Introduction

If I had dollars for the number of times people have complained about not being able to keep up with, read and act upon e-mails they received, I would be living on a 100- foot yacht in the Caribbean anchored near my luxury villa.  Sadly, the truth is that complaints about e-mails are indicative of a much larger problem that many people won’t admit, and that frankly, speaks directly to their lack of organizational, time management and prioritization skills.

A Personal Anecdote

About twenty-five years ago I was working in a resources company reporting to the Director of Human Resources.  I strongly suspected shortly after I started that my boss had issues with his e-mail management system.  As he was seldom in his office, often in meetings, or travelling, e-mail, I thought, was the one tool I had that I could use to communicate and engage with him.  That assumption turned out to be seriously flawed.

After several weeks it became very apparent that a number of things were “falling through the cracks”.  Deadlines were missed, reports weren’t being filed, and key approvals were missing.  Often, when I followed up with him by phone, the answer I received was “I haven’t checked my e-mail” or “It’s still in my inbox”.

Things came to a head one day in late spring.  I was sitting at my computer working on a report when I suddenly noticed my inbox went from three unread e-mails to over 1,200.  I was alarmed.  When I opened my inbox there were hundreds of e-mails captioned something like this:

“Your e-mail sent to __________ on April 11^th, 1999 entitled _______ was deleted and unread”.

As it turns out, my boss’ approach to dealing with his e-mail problem was to call the IT Department, have then send over a technician, and wipe out every e-mail in his inbox.  Starting over may have addressed his immediate problem, but it certainly didn’t reflect positively on his managerial skills.

What’s the Real Problem?

Despite the emergence of new workplace technologies like Slack, e-mail is still an important business tool. Mastering it takes a bit of planning, some organization, a touch of self-discipline, and a recognition that it is important.  Simply saying to someone that you are overwhelmed implies that you don’t think the other person is important, and you don’t value them enough to bother reading or responding to them.

Show me someone who can’t manage their e-mails and I’ll show you someone who lacks fundamental planning, organizational and time management skills.  Invariably, these characteristics go hand-in-hand.  People who complain about their e-mail are like students who claim the cat ate their homework, or a close relative who coincidentally died at the time they were expected to hand in a critical assignment.  Defining the problem is ok, but at some point one is also expected to take measures to rectify it.

Not Everyone Procrastinates

In another organization I once worked the Director was fastidious about e-mail management.  Her perspective, and one I support, is that the attention and timeliness you display in responding to e-mails is a key element in job performance and customer service.  She set a standard that every e-mail sent to an employee in her department needed to be read and responded to within twenty-four hours. While exceptions were made for vacation, illness and absences, she made it an operational requirement. She backed it up by personally conducting random audits to ensure her staff met the performance threshold.

A couple of years ago I had an opportunity to meet a very well-known federal Canadian Cabinet Minister at a public function.  We had a very pleasant chat, and afterwards, I sent her an e-mail thanking her for her time and wishing her well.  I had a response in 15 minutes.  I have followed up with her on a couple of occasions since.  Again, the same timely response, and each e-mail had a personal observation confirming that, in fact, it was written by her and not her assistant.

Why is it that a federal Cabinet Minister, with all her demands and requirements, can respond in a timely manner, and others with lesser responsibilities and demands, frankly can’t?

 

Some Simple Techniques Go a Long Way

E-mail management doesn’t have to be complex.  In fact, the simpler the technique, the more likely it is to be adopted.  Here are some simple tricks:

1. Deal with it then and there.  Part of the problem people have with mail, paper, e-mails, or any type of correspondence, is that they play with it.  They hem, they haw, and then they just leave it.  That is never a successful response.

Realistically, there are only 5 things you can do with a piece of correspondence:

1. Respond to it.
2. Forward it.
3. Delete it.
4. File it for future reference.
5. Delegate it to someone to handle.

Making an immediate decision can sometimes be challenging, but leaving it unanswered doesn’t help either.

2. Use File Folders or Labels.  This is a pretty simple technique, but I’m surprise at the number of people who don’t use it.  The more clutter you have in your inbox, the less readily available something becomes.

Create file folders according to subject matter.  Periodically, go through your file folder list to see if anything can be purged or merged.

3. Create rules.  Ensure that high priority e-mails from key persons are highlighted.  You can either have these colour coded, or have them inserted in a particular file folder other than your inbox.

4. Get Rid of Spam. If you receive spam e-mails, block the sender, and then arrange to have future communication from that source go directly to the delete file. Don’t waste time on junk. 

5. Unsubscribe. If you find yourself on an e-mail distribution list from a reputable service provider or organization, and the e-mail looks authentic but maybe isn’t really relevant to your needs, then get off the distribution list.

6. Purge regularly and ruthlessly.  Designate a certain day and time each month to routinely purge your e-mail system of unnecessary materials.

7. Use the CRUMI method.  What is CRUMI?  Simply, it’s a way of denoting the type of e-mail in the subject line so that recipients have an idea of how best to handle it.  

Example:

C = Critical

R  = Response Required

U = Urgent (i.e. this needs to be done immediately)

M = Meeting Request

I = Information Only

This type of system works best when everyone in your department or company uses it. That said, if you start doing it, others may be inspired to follow.

8. Make the Time.  Set aside a designated time or alternatively, blocks of time each day, to review and answer e-mails.  In total, the amount of time shouldn’t be onerous, and whether you devote one, two or three blocks of time is your choice. Establishing this schedule will help you stay focused.

A Final Thought…

It is neither chic nor acceptable to offer dismissive comments to customers, clients or even friends, by making a statement like “It’s in my inbox but I haven’t gotten to it yet”.  If your inbox is overflowing with unread e-mails then it’s time to develop the skills and techniques to administer it. 

In short, it’s time to face facts:  your inbox and unread e-mails aren’t the problem.  You are!