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How to Survive the Daily E-Mail Attack

For most people these days, keeping up with the daily onslaught of email is a major challenge. In fact, experts estimate that e-mail has added an extra 1.23 hours to the average person’s workday.

Written Nov 11, 2009, read 3740 times since then.

For most people these days, keeping up with the daily onslaught of email is a major challenge. In fact, experts estimate that e-mail has added an extra 1.23 hours to the average person’s workday (E-Writing: 21st Century Tools for Effective Communication by Diana Booher; Managing Your E-Mail by Christina Cavanagh). If you multiply 1.23 hours by 5 days for 52 weeks, the average person is spending 320 hours per year of extra time handling e-mail. Wow! That is a lot of time spent on email. And experts estimate that the time lost to email has caused workers to shave time elsewhere, causing a productivity crunch.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the average U.S. worker spends up to four hours a day sending and receiving e-mail. Of that four hours, it is estimated that one hour each day is spent on the 36 percent of e-mail messages that are either irrelevant, or relevant but do not require a response.

So how do you survive the daily email attack? The following tips will help you manage the flow of email:

Turn off e-mail alarms and prompts through your e-mail preferences tool. Many people have alarms and prompts set to go off every few minutes upon the arrival of e-mail in their inbox. These continual interruptions make people respond like Pavlov’s dogs every time they hear the “you’ve got mail” chime. Turning off the chime will keep you from interrupting what you were doing to read e-mail in the midst of other projects.
Plan for the reading and response of e-mail in your daily schedule. Create a proactive method of managing e-mail by setting up time in your day dedicated to e-mail. Do not check e-mail the first thing in the morning, or you risk becoming reactive. Instead, spend the first hour working on the most important project or planning your day out.
Estimate the amount of time you are spending on e-mail now, and cut that time in half. Deadlines usually make most people more efficient. You may want to spend half of your allocated email time in the morning, and the other half after lunch or before you finish working for the day. The time constraint forces you to prioritize. The e-mails that do not get answered are probably not that important and, thus, deleted, or archived in file folders for future use.
Create e-mail folders, and direct the flow of e-mail. Create folders in your e-mail system that mirror your paper filing system to reinforce storage and retrieval of important information. In addition, create the folders to reflect your active projects and change your e-mail settings to direct e-mail that contains project-related language to those folders within your inbox. Added bonus: many e-mail systems impose limits on inbox size, but not in a folder.
Use computer storage folders. For e-mails that need to be kept for a longer period of time, create an electronic filing cabinet, with electronic folders for category names that match the physical files. Use Word or any system your company utilizes and backs up often.
Save the most recent only. Delete the earlier string of emails and just keep the most current one to avoid saving redundant emails.
Just save the attachment. If e-mail has an attachment and that is all you need, only save the attachment.
Control the flow of the e-mail exchange. People often feel they must respond to email instantly. Take time to consider your response and slow the flow of email when an immediate response if unnecessary.
Refrain from sending irrelevant e-mail. Be careful not to send e-mail just because it’s quick and convenient. The same rules apply to e-mail as regular correspondence – if it doesn’t have to be said, don’t say it.
Create templates. If you frequently send the same types of emails, create templates that you can use over and over (changing only the specifics each time).
Create an e-mail ritual. Every Friday before you leave the office, be ruthless about deleting e-mails no longer needed, saving those you need for a week or longer to personal folders, saving those you need longer to Word, and reviewing those in the personal folders to delete any no longer necessary. Make this a weekly habit and your e-mail will be a lot more manageable. You can also do the same thing at the end of every day if you so choose.

Many people are familiar with the above tips, but few actually implement them, leaving them to be reactive instead of proactive. Organizing your e-mail, like any other organizing behavior, allows you to be more productive and better utilize your time and energy. So stop the madness, and do what it takes to take control of your email. Remember, e-mail is supposed to be an electronic communications tool to assist you, not drive you crazy.

Good luck!

Learn more about the author, Lisa Montanaro.

Posted by Jim Rooney, Brady, Texas | Nov 12, 2009

Lisa,

I do about half of the tips recommended in your article . My goal is to impliment the other half this week. Thanks for the quality well written ideas.

Carpe Diem,

Jim R
Posted by Mary E. Rossow, Los Altos, California | Nov 12, 2009

Lisa,

Your last line "...e-mail is supposed to be an electronic communications tool to assist you, not drive you crazy" sums it up powerfully!

Warm November Socks, Rossow
Posted by Lisa Montanaro, Warwick, New York | Nov 12, 2009

Jim R - If you are doing half of the tips I recommended, you are already doing a lot! :-) Keep up the great work. Good luck implementing the rest of the ideas. - Lisa

Mary - Thanks for the comment. Glad you liked that last line! :-) - Lisa
Posted by Harmony Thiessen, Vancouver, British Columbia Canada | Nov 12, 2009

Lisa, Thanks. I don't erase many emails, always thinking I need a paper trail. I like the erase the old versions. A good habit to start.
Posted by Lisa Montanaro, Warwick, New York | Nov 12, 2009

Harmony-

You are welcome! Try the erase feature and see how it works for you. I bet you won't miss the old stuff as much as you think you will!

To your success - Lisa
Posted by Gary Giffin, La Jolla | Nov 12, 2009

Lisa, Its take me 1-2 hours each night to catch up and read all my emails or respond to them even with my daily use of a Blackberry. thank you for your tips! Gary Giffin
Posted by Nancy Grant, Portland, Oregon | Nov 12, 2009

Great tips and reminders Lisa! Thank you.
Posted by Kirsten Clark, Bellevue, Washington | Nov 12, 2009

I agree it's very easy to get caught up with all the emails that come through. You had some great tips that I will start to follow today.

I get emails that have great articles that I want to read and don't have time. They stack up in my in box and I think I will just make a folder and move those there. Then when I read them I'll delete.
Posted by Deb Ward, Boulder, Colorado | Nov 12, 2009

What I struggle with in e-mail is all the connected links to read more about a subject in the message, which leads to reading even more from THAT link. In a market that's constantly changing, it's important to keep up and I feel like I have to read constantly to stay up-to-date. So it takes forever to get through all the e-mails.

Any thoughts?
Posted by Sean Collins, Whitinsville, Massachusetts | Nov 12, 2009

Great tips. I use a lot of them myself.

One way to slow down the "onslaught" is to prevent it from starting. A lot of times people sign-up for something with their email address and don't notice the fine print..."you may receive emails from our partners". Now your email pain is getting worse.

The Clean Up: Don't wait to delete emails later. If you know it's no longer important, delete it. If after 4 or 5 emails, you feel you've got nothing out of that newsletter, unsubscribe.

I know people who keep all their emails and treat it like a database, then their program tells them it's full. Big mistake. Save really important emails as PDFs or text files.
Posted by Lisa Montanaro, Warwick, New York | Nov 12, 2009
Gary, Nancy, Kirsten, Deb & Sean -

Thanks for your comments. Glad you found the article and tips so useful.

Kirsten - With regard to your question about wanting to keep up with online reading but not pile up email, I suggest you try Google Reader. You set up your own Google Reader page and then direct blogs, ezines, etc. there so you can read them all in one place. That keeps them out of your email! Try it.
- Lisa
Posted by Kirsten Clark, Bellevue, Washington | Nov 12, 2009

I will.

Thanks!
Posted by lori hope, oakland, California | Nov 12, 2009

I do not have time to post a comment here.

But I am going to anyway because I am so appreciative. These are fabulous tips, and although I have heard many of them before, this is the most straightforward and clearly written piece I've read about dealing with email overwhelm.

Thank you again! Lori Hope www.LoriHope.com
Posted by Mary E. Rossow, Los Altos, California | Nov 12, 2009
To Lori-

Received this email from a colleague this AM...
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"I just learned tonight from a mutual friend that (*) is very ill. She was diagnosed with liver cancer on Oct 15th or so. It is related to and has metastasized from the breast cancer that she fought 5+ years ago. She has begun a fairly aggressive chemotherapy regimen that will be administered weekly for 12–15 weeks and is extremely weak."
```
    ================
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Because I read your above post, got curious, and clicked on your website, I now know of a fabulous resource to assist me/her/us, and will be purchasing the book today.

Now we know why you took the time.... so, thank YOU!

Warm Resource Socks, Rossow
Posted by lori hope, oakland, California | Nov 12, 2009

Wow, Mary, you made my day. Almost makes having had cancer worthwhile... ;-)

I do very much hope that my book is of help to you! The fact that you're availing yourself of the resource tells me that you're already a great friend and sensitive to others' needs. Listening; being there; asking permission before offering advice, visiting, or sharing the news with others; and staying positive but not telling your friend she has to think positively are the basic principles.

I am a diehard multi-tasker with several different "jobs", which is why I shouldn't be posting here, but what's most important is really making the most of the time I have, which is why I just had to thank Lisa for her tips! Warm regards to a warm person, Lor
Posted by Lisa Montanaro, Warwick, New York | Nov 13, 2009

Lori -

Thank you for your heartfelt comment. It really touched me how you took the time to post even though you are so busy with other (more important!) things. I am honored that you found my tips so helpful, and it makes writing these articles and sharing them on sites like this even more meaningful.

And glad you got to "meet" Mary. She is great! She and I are colleagues in NAPO and she attended one of my presentations in 2008 and was kind enough to reach out to me afterwards and we've stayed in touch. She's one of a kind.

Warmest of regards - Lisa
Posted by Nancy Lynch Anderson, Los Alamos, New Mexico | Nov 18, 2009

Some great tips that we all could use! I used to subscribe to everything. Now I've discovered google reader which has truly trimmed down my email.
Posted by Mimi Pettibone, Seattle, Washington | Nov 19, 2009

How do I create a folder and direct the flow of certain emails to it? I have been doing a lot of what you say but that is one of the last things that could really help me save and manage some time (but I don't know how to do it!) Thanks for the article!
Posted by Lisa Montanaro, Warwick, New York | Nov 19, 2009

Nancy - Glad you found and use Google Reader. It is a great tool!

Mimi - Most email systems allow you to set up "filters" which are rules that help filter emails into designated folders. Go into 'settings' or 'configuration', and then find 'filters' or 'rules', and set up a test one to make sure it works. Once you know how to use the feature in your email system, set up several filters/rules to direct the flow of email traffic into the folders you created.

Good luck! - Lisa
Posted by Leslie Allan, Melbourne, Victoria Australia | Nov 19, 2009

Lisa,

That's a great summary of your email time saving tips.

Business Performance Pty Ltd http://www.businessperform.com
Posted by Pamela Miles, New York, New York | Nov 19, 2009

Lisa,

Great article, thank you. I'd like your perspective on where to draw the line between avoiding what doesn't need to be said, and using email to build relationship. A place this comes up frequently is the Thank you email. Especially when someone you hardly know has been helpful, it seems warranted. Yet I am always aware that I'm contributing to this busy person's inbox overflow. Your thoughts?

Pamela www.ReikiInMedicine.org
Posted by Lisa Montanaro, Warwick, New York | Nov 19, 2009
Leslie -

Thanks for your comment. Glad you liked the tips!
- Lisa
Posted by Lisa Montanaro, Warwick, New York | Nov 19, 2009

Hi Pamela-

I agree that particular issue is a fine line. You don't want to send lots of unnecessary emails, but sometimes courtesy and manners warrants a reply. I recommend just using good judgment to help you determine when a thank you is appropriate. Some people use the snail mail rule: if you would have written out a thank you note, then send an email. I think I'd stretch that a bit farther and send out thank you's slightly more than that. Can't give you an exact ratio, but I'd say when someone goes out of their way for you, a thank you email is probably a nice touch and won't feel like email clutter!

Thanks - Lisa
Posted by Nancy LaMont, Marysville, Washington | Nov 21, 2009

Lisa,

I have used some but not all of your tips. I think my personal favorite is to save emails that I "may" need in the future to a doc folder. That really clears up my email box.

I want to add just one comment to all of us who send emails... Please don't write a letter. Get to the point quickly and encourage the recipient to contact you if they want more information.

A lot of people just don't have the time or desire to read a lengthy email. Instead, they skim it and may be missing important information.
Posted by Lisa Montanaro, Warwick, New York | Nov 22, 2009
Nancy-

Thanks for your comment, and your additional point about being succint and getting to the point in emails. Very good suggestion!

Glad you found a personal favorite tip!
- Lisa
Posted by Darrell Briggs, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma | Nov 26, 2009

Email kicks my keester. It seems I always have 1500 - 2000 emails in my box at once. I have threatened to delete everything and start over. Is this a good idea?
Posted by Lisa Montanaro, Warwick, New York | Nov 26, 2009

Darrell -

You are too funny (kicks your keester - cute!).

You may need to "start over" in a sense. Take all of the emails in your inbox and create a folder called "to go through" and then start fresh in your actual inbox using the tips in my article. Then, schedule blocks of time to quickly go through the older emails in the folder you set up to organize them (reply, delete, capture contacts, etc).

That will give you a clean slate in your actual inbox, while allowing you to go through the older ones behind the scenes.

Good luck - Lisa
Posted by Darrell Briggs, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma | Nov 26, 2009

Thanks for the tip...I will try this. Just my luck...another Lisa telling me what to do!
Posted by Mary E. Rossow, Los Altos, California | Nov 26, 2009

Oh heck, Darrell...just hold your breath, close your eyes, and hit DELETE! Live on the wild side a little. What are they gunna do, arrest ya? Warm Deleted Socks, Rossow
Posted by Lisa Montanaro, Warwick, New York | Nov 26, 2009

Darrell -

Oh-oh! It sounds like you have another Lisa in your life -- maybe your wife? Well, the difference is you ASKED for my opinion, so now you get it. Suffer the consequences... :-)

Mary - You rebel, you! :-)

Happy Thanksgiving to both of you!
Posted by Samuel Awosolu, Lithia Springs, Georgia | Nov 28, 2009

These are great tips! Email can really be a productivity killer. I try to make it the last thing I do in a work day. Interesting though Tim Ferris the author of the Four Hour Work Week checks email once a week. Don't think I can practice that much restraint. Like you said if you can get into a rhythm of doing those tips above and discipline yourself to do it consistently you will find yourself a lot more productive during your work hours. Thanks for sharing!
Posted by Lisa Montanaro, Warwick, New York | Nov 28, 2009

Hi Samuel -

Thanks for your comment. That is great that you try to check email at the end of the day, so you can be productive and focus on the priority work before then. Yes, I agree, once per week would be tough! :-)

Lisa
Posted by Gary Giffin, La Jolla | Nov 28, 2009

Too bad I have a BlackBerry I cant stop looking at it!
Posted by Lisa Montanaro, Warwick, New York | Nov 28, 2009

Hi Gary-

You can stop yourself! Turn your Blackberry email alert off and then try not to check it except at designated intervals. You can do it! Exercise some willpower... :-)

Lisa
Posted by Shaun Lawrence, Irvine, California | Dec 01, 2009

Thanks for your tips. I think my email alarm is the problem. Thanks for that tip. Changing it to every couple hours, not every 2 minutes.
Posted by Lisa Montanaro, Warwick, New York | Dec 01, 2009

Shaun -

You are welcome! Yes, that email alarm can really be distracting. Turn it off and see how it goes.

Good luck - Lisa