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Computer & Email
Get the Most from Microsoft Outlook
Beware the Empty Inbox
Get the Most from Your Handheld
Do Digital Organizers Save Time - Or Waste It?
Efficient E-mail Habits
Transitioning from Paper to Digital Information Storage
Faxing Without Paper Saves Time
Working From Two Offices
Business & the Office
Time Tactics for the Office
Keeping Track of Delegated Tasks
Controlling Interruptions
Keeping Track of Your Customers & Prospects
Do Your Employees Really Need Customer Service Training?
Paper Management
Action Files Prevent Desk Clutter
Reclaim Your Desktop with a Tickler File
What To Do With All Those Business Cards?
Managing Project Folders - A Surprising Tip that Works
Time Management & Organizing
The Power of Planning Ahead
Words of Wisdom You Should Ignore
Coping with Information Overload
Thirteen Tips for Working Smarter, Not Harder
© Jan Jasper; 2006-2008
Much incoming e-mail can be read once, then promptly deleted - this means less e-mail clutter to wade through. At the least, do a clean-up
once a month.
Create email folders for specific clients, projects, or subject areas, rather than leaving them in your inbox forever. You can drag and
drop to file each email, or you can create filters to drive emails automatically to a folder you designate. But don't go overboard -- too many
narrow, specific folders makes it harder to locate emails later.
If your email management software doesn't allow you to create folders, an alternative is to use Save As to save emails as text files. Group
them into directories by client, project, function, etc.
Use detailed subject headers - sometimes the whole message can be in the header! This saves time when searching for old e-mails later on.
Insert "NRN" in subject headers when no reply is necessary.
Customize your email software to display all the information you need at a glance. Microsoft Outlook allows you to add columns to your
email screen.
Delete unneeded e-mails regularly. You usually only need to save the last message of an ongoing "conversation" - the most recent message
contains quotebacks of all previous messages. This will greatly reduce your email overload.
Keep your inbox lean so it becomes an extension of your To-Do list. Everything you must keep should be dragged into the correct folder. Only
emails that require action should remain in the inbox for more than a day.
If you follow the above tips, you won't need to print most of your emails - you can save time by filing and accessing them digitally! However,
for a meeting away from your office or a project for which most information is not digital - then printing emails makes sense. Printing emails
should be the exception however, not the rule - otherwise you'll create an email management nightmare.
Create templates for routine replies.
Last but not least, know when to telephone. Unless you need to send the same message a group, or keep a record of what you said when to whom,
the phone may be faster.
*The usual disclaimers apply. My mentioning these products is not a guarantee of any sort. Obviously, you should not change anything
until you've completely backed up your files. You already do that, right?
This article is available to reprint if you include my copyright notice and identify me as follows: "Jan Jasper, a productivity expert in the New York City
area, is the author of Take Back Your Time: How to Regain Control of Work, Information, & Technology (St. Martin's Press)."
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About the Author:
Productivity coach Jan Jasper has been helping busy people work smarter, not harder since 1988. Her customized approach guides clients to manage time,
tasks, and information more effectively. She also provides Microsoft Outlook customization for clients. Jan is the author of
Take Back Your Time: How to Regain Control of Work, Information, & Technology (St. Martin's Press).
She recently completed a North American media tour as the national efficiency spokesperson for IKON Office Solutions,
Inc. She has appeared on radio and TV all over North America and is quoted regularly in print. Jan is an adjunct instructor at
New York University.
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