by Clea Badion, Robert Half International
For most people, email can either be friend or foe. Chances are good this tool has helped you better communicate with colleagues and improve your productivity. Chances also are good you've been locked out of the corporate email system for keeping too many messages in your inbox, leading to frustration and the loss of valuable time from your busy day.
If you think of the inbox as a metaphor for your personality, you likely fall into one of two camps: the Perfectionist or the Procrastinator. The first type relentlessly checks email, archiving or deleting items as they arrive; the second actively avoids the inbox and has countless unread emails awaiting replies.
Following are some suggestions for those at both ends of the email management spectrum:
The Perfectionist
You have a Pavlovian-like attachment to your inbox. Every time the computer trumpets the arrival of a new email, the Perfectionist stops to check on it, immediately responding to the message, then archiving or deleting it. While you are likely highly organized, responsible and responsive, there are some downsides to such aggressive email maintenance.
For one thing, because you are always interrupting yourself to check email, you constantly break your workflow and may find it difficult to focus on projects, especially those that require sustained concentration. And by responding to and filing away your messages right away, you may miss part of what someone has written. How many times have you sent a message only to remember useful information you wish you had included a little later? If you have flexibility, give yourself some time to contemplate an answer before replying.
Perfectionists frequently have a hard time saying no, and other people can take advantage of this. After all, if you always respond to messages quickly, you'll be one of the first people contacted whenever there's an urgent matter. While you want to help out when you can, you also want to avoid becoming the "go to" person for every emergency, which can cause you to neglect your own assignments.
The Procrastinator
You know who you are. You have no system of inbox organization and probably feel a sense of dread or guilt (or both) whenever you open your email. You frequently misplace messages and waste a lot of time by searching for them.
Surprisingly, many Procrastinators suffer from overpoliteness: They feel they need to respond at length to each email, so, lacking the time, they ignore the messages altogether. A better tactic is sending a brief message saying you're in the middle of a project and will provide a more complete answer, if warranted, later in the day or week. (And then do exactly that!)
While you don't have to become a Perfectionist, you do need a workable system to manage your onslaught of email. You can cut through dozens or even hundreds of emails by simply deleting spam, reminders about meetings that have already occurred or messages you were copied on but don't need to respond to. You might also create folders for email that needs to be addressed today, tomorrow or within a week. Set aside regular time to comb through the emails you've put in folders so you can be sure you follow up on them; otherwise, you've only created a more complex system of procrastination.
The way you manage your inbox likely offers insight into other areas of your professional life, and adjusting your email habits could lead to changes elsewhere. Tidying up your inbox, for instance, may prompt you to organize your paperwork better. So whether you're a Perfectionist or Procrastinator, look for ways to improve your message-handling habits -- chances are an adjustment or two will prove beneficial.
Robert Half International is the world's first and largest specialized staffing firm and has more than 360 offices worldwide. For more information about our professional services, please visit rhi.com. For additional workplace articles and podcasts, visit workvine.com.
For most people, email can either be friend or foe. Chances are good this tool has helped you better communicate with colleagues and improve your productivity. Chances also are good you've been locked out of the corporate email system for keeping too many messages in your inbox, leading to frustration and the loss of valuable time from your busy day.
If you think of the inbox as a metaphor for your personality, you likely fall into one of two camps: the Perfectionist or the Procrastinator. The first type relentlessly checks email, archiving or deleting items as they arrive; the second actively avoids the inbox and has countless unread emails awaiting replies.
Following are some suggestions for those at both ends of the email management spectrum:
The Perfectionist
You have a Pavlovian-like attachment to your inbox. Every time the computer trumpets the arrival of a new email, the Perfectionist stops to check on it, immediately responding to the message, then archiving or deleting it. While you are likely highly organized, responsible and responsive, there are some downsides to such aggressive email maintenance.
For one thing, because you are always interrupting yourself to check email, you constantly break your workflow and may find it difficult to focus on projects, especially those that require sustained concentration. And by responding to and filing away your messages right away, you may miss part of what someone has written. How many times have you sent a message only to remember useful information you wish you had included a little later? If you have flexibility, give yourself some time to contemplate an answer before replying.
Perfectionists frequently have a hard time saying no, and other people can take advantage of this. After all, if you always respond to messages quickly, you'll be one of the first people contacted whenever there's an urgent matter. While you want to help out when you can, you also want to avoid becoming the "go to" person for every emergency, which can cause you to neglect your own assignments.
The Procrastinator
You know who you are. You have no system of inbox organization and probably feel a sense of dread or guilt (or both) whenever you open your email. You frequently misplace messages and waste a lot of time by searching for them.
Surprisingly, many Procrastinators suffer from overpoliteness: They feel they need to respond at length to each email, so, lacking the time, they ignore the messages altogether. A better tactic is sending a brief message saying you're in the middle of a project and will provide a more complete answer, if warranted, later in the day or week. (And then do exactly that!)
While you don't have to become a Perfectionist, you do need a workable system to manage your onslaught of email. You can cut through dozens or even hundreds of emails by simply deleting spam, reminders about meetings that have already occurred or messages you were copied on but don't need to respond to. You might also create folders for email that needs to be addressed today, tomorrow or within a week. Set aside regular time to comb through the emails you've put in folders so you can be sure you follow up on them; otherwise, you've only created a more complex system of procrastination.
The way you manage your inbox likely offers insight into other areas of your professional life, and adjusting your email habits could lead to changes elsewhere. Tidying up your inbox, for instance, may prompt you to organize your paperwork better. So whether you're a Perfectionist or Procrastinator, look for ways to improve your message-handling habits -- chances are an adjustment or two will prove beneficial.
Robert Half International is the world's first and largest specialized staffing firm and has more than 360 offices worldwide. For more information about our professional services, please visit rhi.com. For additional workplace articles and podcasts, visit workvine.com.
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