Managing Email Productivity

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Managing Email Productivity

Indianapolis Productivity Summit

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AgendaE-Mail is Broken

The Shortcut Problem

A New PerspectiveTestimonial

Rethinking Email

Freedom from Email

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E-MAIL IS BROKEN

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Email is Broken: Unfathomable Quantities

Drinking from the Fire hose, UHF , 1989

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Email is Broken: Endless Advertisement

95% of All Email is Spam, ArsTechnica.com, 2007

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Email is Broken: Bottomless Reminders

Email for every possible reminder.

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Email is Broken: Information Overload

Giving up seems like a viable option

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Email is Broken: Multiple Conversations

How many conversations can you have at once?

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Email is Broken: Unclear Instructions

How well can you give directions via email?

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Email is Broken: Unanswerable Questions

Good questions require dialogue; not email exchanges.

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Email is Broken: Insufferable Archives

Email is the worst place to store everything.

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Email is Broken: Entertainment

Since email is for “everything”, we even use it for fun.

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Email is Broken

• Drinking from the fire hose• Information overload• Used for every purpose

 –  Advertisement –  Coordination – 

Conversation –  Give directions –  Ask questions –  Record keeping –  Entertainment!

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Email is Broken: Causes - Asynchronicity

Anytime, any place, and perhaps not with the same devotion

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Email is Broken: Causes - Unlimited

No barrier on the number of emails you can send or receive.

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Email is Broken: Causes

Unlimited

andAsynchronous

Treacherous

Combination

Telephone Postal Mail

InstantMessenger

(Chat)Email

Synchronous Asynchronous

Limited

Unlimited

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Email is Broken: Proof

Constantly down; reply-all storms, mailbox quotas

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Email is Broken: Proof

The five word email that cost $10 million dollars.

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Email is Broken

“Email systems cannot handle

the way people use email.”

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THE SHORTCUT PROBLEM

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The Shortcut Problem

Most email productivity advice:

“Make [this] simple change.”

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The Shortcut Problem

The reality of clever tricks:

“Tricks assume helpfulpreconditions.”

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The Shortcut Problem: Helpful Preconditions

This is how all magic tricks work.

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The Shortcut Problem: Helpful Preconditions

#2: Our email statistics

(inbox size and response time)are non-representative.

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The Shortcut Problem: Helpful Preconditions

#3: We work with others who

use email intelligently and whorespect our time.

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A NEW PERSPECTIVE

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A New Perspective

Email is for routing ideas, not

for creating or storing information.

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A New Perspective: Stop

Stop using email for Composition and Archiving.

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An Old Perspective

Golf 

•

Careful setup• No time limits

• Single objective

• No distractions

• Many chances

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A New Perspective

Baseball

•

Seconds to play• Multiple options

• Roar of the crowd

• Three strikes

• Team sport

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An Old Perspective

Archives

•

Permanent• Full & Complete

• Rarely Accessed

• Secure

• Defensive

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A New Perspective

Lobby

•

Spacious• Clean & Airy

• Public, always open

• Welcoming

• Informative

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An Old Perspective

Composition

•

Devoted• Elegant

• Compelling

• Intellectual

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A New Perspective

Dialing & Directing

•

Instant feedback• Predefined

• Results-driven

• Simple

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A New Perspective

Email is for routing ideas, notfor creating or storing information.

Changing our perspective enables anew relationship with email.

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TESTIMONIAL

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Testimonial

Eric Marasco

Proforma

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RETHINKING EMAIL

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Rethinking Email

Order of Composition

Inbox ZeroControl the Schedule

Working from Sent

Message/Goal Parity

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Rethinking Email: Order of Composition

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Rethinking Email: Order of Composition

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Rethinking Email: Order of Composition

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Rethinking Email: Order of Composition

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Rethinking Email: Order of Composition

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Rethinking Email: Order of Composition

Email is for routing ideas, notfor creating or storing information.

Start with the idea to be routed.

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Rethinking Email: Order of Composition

1)Attach files

2)Write bodya. Use the phrase “the

attached file(s).”

b. Describe the one action

item for the email3) Restate body as subject

4) Flag message/to-do list

5) Add recipients & send!

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Rethinking Email: Order of Composition

1. Attach Files

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Rethinking Email: Order of Composition

2. Write bodyUse the phrase

“the attached file(s).”

Describe the oneaction item for the email

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Rethinking Email: Order of Composition

3. Restate Body as

Subject

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Rethinking Email: Order of Composition

4. Flag message/update to-do list

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Rethinking Email: Order of Composition

5. Add Recipients and

Send

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Rethinking Email: Order of Composition

1)Attach files

2)Write bodya. Use the phrase “the

attached file(s).”

b. Describe the one action

item for the email3) Restate body as subject

4) Flag message/to-do list

5) Add recipients & send!

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Rethinking Email: Inbox Zero

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Rethinking Email: Inbox Zero

http://www.43folders.com/izero

Inbox zero is fleeting.

Inbox zero is sublime.

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Rethinking Email: Control the Schedule

Unlimited

andAsynchronous

Treacherous

Combination

Telephone Postal Mail

InstantMessenger

(Chat)Email

Synchronous Asynchronous

Limited

Unlimited

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Rethinking Email: Control the Schedule

Unlimited

andAsynchronous

Treacherous

Combination

Synchronous Asynchronous

Limited Telephone Postal Mail

InstantMessenger

(Chat)EmailUnlimited

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Rethinking Email: Control the Schedule

1) Schedule “dashes”

2) Avoid “checking” email

3) Define response times

4) Make & keep promises

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Rethinking Email: Working from Sent

• Emphasizes your success

•

Emphasizes follow-up• Tracks delegated work

• Tracks relationships

• Easier to search whatyou’ve written vs. read

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Rethinking Email: Message/Goal Parity

Every message should have

exactly one objective.

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Rethinking Email: Message/Goal Parity

Example Objectives:

•

Set a meeting• Provide a link*

• Give simple feedback

• Ask a simple question

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Rethinking Email: Message/Goal Parity

For the recipient,

Each message is a

to-do item.

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FREEDOM FROM EMAIL

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Freedom from Email

2 hours per day “doing” email

10 hours per work week

500 hours per year

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Freedom from Email

• Emerge from frustration• Use email to grow and

accelerate your business

• Explore new opportunitieswith reclaimed time

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Managing Email Productivity

Questions?

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Managing Email Productivity

Indianapolis Productivity Summit