If you own a computer, you're a prime candidate for communications overload.
Every day, we face a barrage of voicemail, faxes and snail mail. Now, the
computer era has added a never-ending stream of e-mail and electronic junk mail
to the communications clutter.
| • | Read your e-mail in batches.
Process your e-mail at regular times of the day. Resist the temptation to
check your messages constantly – it disrupts your focus on the task at hand.
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| • | Take action on e-mail the first
time you read it. The rules are the same for paper or e-mail: don’t
handle it more than once. If you can answer an e-mail quickly, then do it.
Don't get caught up in the endless cycle of reading a message, saving it,
rereading it, delaying a decision… and so on.
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| • | Delete a
message as soon as you've dealt with it. The more messages you
save, the more you add to the clutter on your computer – and the harder it
will be to find the messages you really do need to keep. This is a good
policy to follow for most e-mail messages but keep in mind that the Peel
board’s
e-mail guidelines
require all e-mails to and from parents and students to be saved for
one year.
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| • | Schedule time to
respond to messages that need more attention. If you can't answer
an e-mail immediately, save the message and plan some time in your calendar
to deal with it.
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| • | Deal with unwanted e-mail
immediately. If you receive unsolicited e-mail, take the time to
unsubscribe or ask the sender to take you off their list. Be aware that
unsubscribing doesn't always work and may only confirm that your e-mail
address is active. Consider installing an e-mail filter that will send
unsolicited e-mail or spam to a bulk or delete folder, so that it doesn't
clog up your inbox.
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| • | Review and purge saved e-mail
monthly. Start with the most recent messages and work your way back
to the older ones.
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| • | Fill in the subject line
properly when you send an e-mail message. Many people respond to
e-mail messages without changing the subject line. As the e-mail travels
back and forth, the message gradually changes, but the subject line doesn't.
An inaccurate subject line makes the information in the e-mail difficult to
retrieve or archive. Always ensure that your subject line clearly highlights
the content of your message.
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| • | Delete any unnecessary portions
of the original message when you reply. This reduces the size of
the file you're sending out and keeps your message focused.
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Create e-mail folders in your inbox to help organize and store your messages.
Organizing your e-mail in folders helps you access information quickly and keeps
relevant material together.