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Email is familiar. It’s comfortable. It’s easy to use. But it might just be the biggest killer of time and productivity in the office today.

– Ryan Holmes

 

Email is a killer. Let’s face it. Does anybody out there love it?

 

Yet it’s such a major component of most jobs today.

 

Recent research by McKinsey shows we spend more time responding to email than we do “communicating and collaborating internally” or “searching and gathering information.”

 

And although the study says we spend 28% of our workweek reading and answering email (which seems low to me), it doesn’t spill on how much time we spend composing and over-engineering emails we send. Anybody want to hazard a guess?

 

This week I was presenting a couple of workshops and three simple email tips I shared seemed to resonate with everyone.

 

See if they hit the mark, use them, and they will help your incoming – and outgoing – email be much more effective.

 

3 Simple Email Tips

 

1. Receiving email: Stop reading emails you’re copied on.

 

I learned long ago that most emails in which I’m in the “cc” line, are not necessary reading. Someone is simply keeping you in the loop, or it’s a CYA maneuver. Get them out of your inbox, and into their own file.

 

Action step: 

• Create a folder in your email system called: CC Emails (or something similar).
•  Then, create a rule that all emails on which you are copied go directly into this folder.
•  Peruse this file at your leisure to stay abreast of information you may want to be aware of, but don’t necessarily need to take action on..

(You’re welcome.)

 

2. Sending email: Tell your reader what you want them to do – in the subject line.

 

Do you ever struggle with people not reading your email, leaving you with lots of follow up, and possibly causing you to generate even more emails?

 

If so, work to make your emails “one and done.” You will get a better response if you tell people what you expect them to do, right in the subject line.

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When you’re creating an email, think about the reader. What action do you want them to take because of your message? Once you’re clear on that, use it in your title. Remember, it’s likely your colleagues are getting hundreds of email per day. Those without a clear call to action languish – unread or unprocessed – in the inbox.

 

Action step: 

In the subject line of your email, tell the reader what you want them to do. Here are four simple calls to action and an example you can use when you email.

1. Response Requested 
2. Action Needed 
3. Please Review
4. FYI Only | No Action Required
   

 

When you use these, refer to any projects or subject matter that might be helpful to your reader. Here are examples:

• Response Requested by September 1 | Curriculum Project
• Action Needed by 2pm Friday | Staff Meeting Agenda
• Please Review by Friday | Draft Job Search Document Enclosed 
• FYI Only | No Action Required: Staffing Updates

3. Sending email: Brief. Bullets. White space.

 

Studies show 65% of all email is first read on a mobile device. That means that concise email you composed and looks great on your laptop, might read like War and Peace on someone’s mobile.

 

Long, complicated emails aren’t read in any form. It’s too hard to pick out the important parts, and there are too many other emails competing for the reader’s attention.

 

Action step: 

• Keep your email messages brief, no more than a screen. Some advocate for no more than 5 sentences (!).
• Convey only one key idea per email.
• Use bullets and white space to clarify your purpose for writing, and then make your points concisely.
• If your message is too complex or runs too long, email is probably not the right channel for sending it.

 

So there you have it. If you struggle with an overload of incoming email, or getting people to read the ones you send, try these tips and then let me know what you notice.

 

The daily job is hard enough, having good email practices helps you focus on the most important work, and is a great Career Strategy.

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• This post was published previously and updated in September 2019.

• Image: Pixabay

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