Practical Tips: E-mail Management

Everyone is inundated with e-mail. Use technology settings to help you focus your attention and maximize your efficiency.

E-mail
Set up folders to sort e-mail as it comes in and check them in priority order. Typically executives create folders for their direct supervisor, company management, and their direct reports. Be careful how you name these folders; some people just label them A, B, and C. When you’re on a specific project, create a folder and funnel e-mails from team members into that folder so you can check all relevant e-mails concurrently. Remember to delete or archive the folder when the project is complete.

Social Media Preferences
Increasingly, networking is moving online. Set your preferences to receive updates in a digest form and then choose how often you want to receive them—once a day, once a week, etc. If you’re tempted to choose “never,” thinking that you’ll proactively search, don’t. You’ll get out of the habit when work becomes especially demanding and potentially miss opportunities.

You are welcome to reprint this article as long as you include the following in its entirety: Reprinted from “Our Corporate Life®,” a biweekly ezine featuring practical tips and tools for navigating the corporate world. © MMXI Amanda Mitchell, Our Corporate Life, LLC. Subscribe at www.ourcorporatelife.com