Email is still a killer

The biggest burden in the workplace is email. It chews up most of our time, it stresses us out and it casts a shadow of dread in the background as we try to disengage from work on our holidays.

How many of you came back to a mountain of email that took you the first day or two of the working year to cut through? Even if you tried to keep up-to-date from home or on holiday you will still most likely find a large mass of email awaiting you.

Email is a form of communication – not a task

The thing we seem to forget as we try to chunk and segment our working day is that email in itself is not a task. It is a great invention – being able to have turn-based discussions with entire groups of people – but covering one or two dozen different topics of conversation within an hour is not the way our minds are built.

Sorting your email in chronological order may seem a fair and reasonable approach but it doesn’t work to your mind’s strengths. It’s much better to sort emails by topic (if you’re willing to go through and categorise) or by person, as it can really reduce the number of reply emails you write. Whatever your system, you need to have one and it needs to save you time.

How important is email?

Is it your core job function? Is it your core responsibility? If not, then spending more time on it than anything else may be a poor allocation of your time. It can make us feel like we are really ploughing through the workload when we cut our inbox down to a page or so, but it needs to be contributing to your goals. It is a frustrating experience to spend a couple of hours at work, addressing the questions, queries and discussions being raised but not actually crossing anything off our to-do lists.

The feeling that everything is important

The subversive little monster that controls us with email stress is the one that whispers in our ear: “What if you miss something important?” It is this feeling, the anxiety that we carry when we enter a conversation with someone and the thirst for knowing everything at all times that ties us to our inboxes.

It’s terrible when we get caught out not knowing a small but important detail from an email that we only skimmed or partially responded to. Naturally, we try and avoid this feeling but it’s often to the detriment of the bigger picture. As always – spend the most time on what is of the most importance. Your ability to decide what is essential knowledge and what is peripheral is core to you performing well at your job.

Mobile devices – the scourge

Email is seen as a mounting responsibility and there is little that is more stressful than a rising problem that you’re not in a position to address. Mobile devices allow us to see the progress of a problem, issue or discussion in real time, but the typing limitations of these devices mean that our input is usually limited to short, sharp and sometimes seemingly rude responses to complex issues. When the required response requires a paragraph or two we’re unlikely to be able to express ourselves fully on a smartphone. This means that we carry that ‘response’ around with us until we’re in a position type it out or make a call. Whilst this can help us think through the best possible course of action it also weighs on us.

Encourage good email habits

If we are all stressed and annoyed with the amount of email we have to work through it seems absurd that anyone would act in a way to encourage more of it, right? Well, if you take a closer look at the correspondence that you send you may see a few opportunities to move conversations along a lot more quickly. Instead of “what time should we meet?” you could say “I’m available at lunch on Tuesday or Thursday – does this suit you and if not, please suggest an alternative”. That can cut a conversation several emails – and it’s easy!

Rapid-fire emails on a single topic can cause stress and frustration to the recipient. Seeing four emails with the same subject within five minutes of each other seems to elicit the same reaction as the same number of phone calls in quick succession. It’s much better to collate your thoughts and read through the entire discussion before sending through emails. You’ll find a lot less confusion and frustration from others.

A positive approach

I’ve mentioned stress, dread, frustration and anxiety with this topic as it describes the feelings that many have. However, like all forms of communication email can be a fulfilling and enjoyable interaction. If you see every email as a chance to refine your skill and ability in presenting yourself and your opinion you can very quickly get some enjoyment out of it. Also, remember that email is a tool, it is there to help you achieve more and interact more effectively.

Keep these three key points in mind next time you email:

• Focus on facts and outcomes – less maybes and emotions.
• Don’t reinforce negative discussions and drag everyone down, instead make positive suggestions.
• Use point form and keep it succinct – works well for mobile devices.

Eve Ash is the co-author of Rewrite Your Life! (Penguin Books) and a wide range of training videos.