Email Addictions Part III

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Computers make it easier to do a lot of things,
but most of the things they make it easier to
do don't need to be done.

- Andy Rooney

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A final motivator devoted to email management:

1) Have a “two minute rule”.

In the book “Getting Things Done,” time management expert David Allen recommends keeping your inbox empty in order to keep your mind clear. He suggests answering email messages immediately if they will take less than two minutes to compose. For responses that will take longer than two minutes, Allen suggests creating an “Action Folder” and addressing those communications at a planned time.

2) There will be exceptions to the “two minute rule.”

I generally recommend that professors NOT respond to student emails as soon as the messages arrive, even if it will take less than two minutes to respond, because it leads undergraduates to expect immediate feedback. If you routinely reply to student queries within minutes, later in the semester, when you don’t answer the 11pm cry for help the night before the exam, your students will become disgruntled at your “lack of responsiveness.” Don’t train them to expect service 24/7.

3) Create clear, firm email boundaries for students at the beginning of each semester.

Set up a schedule, similar to office hours, for answering student emails. At the beginning of the semester, preferably both verbally and in your syllabus, inform students that you receive so many email requests that it typically takes you a day or two to respond. Then try to stick with a set schedule for responding to student emails. Set up a folder in your browser and only reply to requests at set times that you have scheduled in your day planner. This will allow you to be responsive to students but to avoid being at their beck and call. Having a student email schedule will also put a halt to the irritating experience of having desperate students email you at 11pm the night before a test is planned or a paper due. If you have announced and enforced a set schedule, students will no longer assume that you will reply to all last minute, electronic questions or pleas.

4) Create a separate email accounts for non-essential email.

Some of us just can’t resist reading our e-newsletters, list-serves or favorite blog updates once we open our email. Reading through the daily New York Times headlines, and reading the etymology of the daily word sent by dictionary.com used to be my autopilot practice when I opened my inbox each morning. Now I have my newsletters sent to my gmail account and I plan a time each day for catching up on news. Having a account for non-essentials can lessen distracting temptations.

5) Use folders to organize your email and have regular housecleaning sessions.

If you need to save messages, David Allen recommends setting up a file system for different categories of email. In all of your email programs, create folders for correspondence just as you do for printed material. Empty your inbox on a regular basis – but don’t use peak energy times for this activity. A weekly cleanup session should be sufficient, especially if you have been regularly attending to your “Action File.”

6) Finally, before you send or respond to an email, remember to ask yourself the following question: WHAT IS THE BEST MEDIUM FOR THIS COMMUNICATION?

This is the most important guideline for email management, and is also the easiest to forget, ignore or avoid. All too often, we engage in a conversation via email that would be better conducted in-person or by telephone.

Complex messages take longer to write than to say. Sensitive messages can be easily misunderstood on the computer screen and need the nuances of vocal tones, and perhaps facial expression and body language, to be toned down or sharpened up.

When a message will take longer than two minutes to compose, or when you are feeling a strong emotion about a given communication, always ask yourself whether it would be more effective to pick up the phone or walk down the hall. People could avoid many misunderstandings if they were more careful about when they chose to use email.

Comments

[Rebecca]

David Allen's system is amazing - One customization would be to look at emails from students as a collective action - then create an Action - Student Email folder that you can put those messages in to. It helps get around the 2 minute rule.

I can't say it enough - David's system is amazing and helps you get your mind clear to do real work. Invest the upfront time, find out about it and give it a try.

[Grant]

I can't believe that nobody has mentioned the most basic way to help get past the compulsion. Somebody in the first topic comments mentioned they'd like to see a functionality where you could open Outlook so you could use tasks and calendar without having mail up. It can be done with one simple step - turn off automatic send/receive. It's something I did initially because I'm a university student and my mail client won't work when I'm on the university network so every 5 minutes or so I was getting an error message saying unable to send/receive. The difference in productivity level increased dramatically at this point because it meant that email reached me only at times in the day that I knew I had time spare to check and respond to emails. Obviously this can't be done if you're on an exchange server at work, but if you're using Outlook to access POP3 email, turn off the automatic send/receive.

A lot of people are worried about missing urgent emails, but generally, urgent communication is done face to face or by phone. If you're still worried, and using firefox, then set up a gmail account as a 'batline', get the Gmail Manager add-on and set it to check mail every minute, then you'll never be out the loop.

[CogSciLibrarian]

On my to-do list for next fall: "Create clear, firm email boundaries for students at the beginning of each semester." I resolve to reply to their emails within 24-48 hours -- but *not* within 2 minutes.

That's going to be tough, but I realize that responding as the emails come in is setting up the expectation that I will *always* respond immediately, which then forces me to respond immediately later in the semester.

Goals are good.

[Anne]

My students know that even if I do sometimes respond immediately, they should not come to expect it. Why? Because I *announce* to them in class that I only check email once or rarely twice a day. I make it very clear that I am delighted to help them, but that last-minute help is not something I can promise. I respect them enough to expect them to understand this. They all accept that they've been given fair warning. Whenever they do write me last-minute, they generally say something like, "I know this is last minute, but if you have time..." This way, if I *can* help them they are pleased and grateful; and if it turns out I can't, they accept that those were the terms from the beginning.

Student rage comes from feeling betrayed or unfairly treated. As long as everyone understands *in advance* what the policy is, they may not *like* it but no one gets irate.

[Elle]

Email and the Internet have (in my opinion) become one of the biggest time wasters known to man, woman or any beastie that can read... OK Ok I know most animals don't have an email account, but you know what I mean. One of the best ways I have found for dealing with emails is to turn off the auto popup - you know that annoying little envelope in the bottom of the computer screen.

Then if I want to work without being disturbed at all and it doesn't involve the computer - i turn away from the screen.

The final thing I do is, is to turn off everything but the item that I am working on. Saves so much time and energy.

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Obviously this can't be done if you're on an exchange server at work, but if you're using Outlook to access POP3 email, turn off the automatic send/receive.