Getting your inbox under control: How to Master that inbox! Workshop
Getting Your Email Under Control: How to master that inbox!
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Getting your inbox under control: How to Master that inbox! Workshop
Overview
• Attitudes towards email (myths and realities)• Sending fewer and better emails• Managing your inbox• Emails as records• Some handy hints• Dealing with the backlog: A way forward
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Getting your inbox under control: How to Master that inbox! Workshop
Confession time!
• Roughly how many emails do you have in your inbox?
• Who would be happy for the contents of their inbox/sent items to be made publicly available?
If not, why not?
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Getting your inbox under control: How to Master that inbox! Workshop
Some things to bear in mind…• Emails belong to your employer, not you• Emails are legally enforceable• Emails are legally disclosable• Email is insecure and easily intercepted• Emails are difficult for users to manage
– Leads to errors…• Users receive too many emails
– Leads to errors…• Email is a communication technology; not an
information management tool• Email is a disruptive technology www.jiscinfonet.ac.uk
Getting your inbox under control: How to Master that inbox! Workshop
Suitable use of work email?
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Notifying all staff of the weekly canteen
menu
Agreeing a contract
Transferring documents
Arranging a meeting
Ordering a Christmas present
Circulating jokes
Discussing the medical condition of a member
of staff
Applying for another job
Suitable UnsuitableMaybe
Getting your inbox under control: How to Master that inbox! Workshop
But there may be better alternatives…
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Email is a very useful tool, but remember
It is not the only tool we have
It is not always the best tool
Getting your inbox under control: How to Master that inbox! Workshop
How to reduce the number you send
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Using alternative technologies
• Ordering a Xmas present• Agreeing a contract• Applying for another job• Transferring documents• Arranging a meeting• Weekly canteen menu• Circulating jokes• Discussing the medical
condition of a member of staff
Home email account?Hard copy?Home email account?Shared network drive/Drop box?PhoneIntranetHome email account/pub?Phone/Face to face meeting?
Getting your inbox under control: How to Master that inbox! Workshop
The benefits of reducing the number of the emails you send
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Easier for colleagues to manage
Less chance of mistakes being made
Gets the best out of email
Virtuous circle –everyone benefits
Getting your inbox under control: How to Master that inbox! Workshop
Good titling?
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Getting your inbox under control: How to Master that inbox! Workshop
Stick to one subject per email
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• Avoid addressing more than one unrelated subject in an email– Makes accurate titling impossible– Makes appropriate filing and management difficult– Makes it difficult to follow the audit trail– Increases the risk of inadvertent disclosure
Getting your inbox under control: How to Master that inbox! Workshop
Appropriate use of message status symbols
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• Use ‘High Importance’ very sparingly– For messages needing immediate attention – Usually for single recipients (or a small number)
• Remember the ‘Low importance’ flag also
Getting your inbox under control: How to Master that inbox! Workshop
Careful use of group messages, ‘CC’ and ‘BCC’• Think carefully who really needs to see your message• Don’t be lazy and select ‘all staff’ when in reality it only
applies to a few• Only ‘CC’ a user into a message when it is important that
they are aware of what is being discussed, but without them needing to play an active role
• E.g. keeping a line manager in the loop• Think very carefully before using ‘BCC’
– Can easily be viewed as sneaky and underhand
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Getting your inbox under control: How to Master that inbox! Workshop
Managing your inbox
What problems have you encountered trying to manage the emails you receive?
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Getting your inbox under control: How to Master that inbox! Workshop
Its time to rethink the purpose of your inbox!
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From this… To this
Getting your inbox under control: How to Master that inbox! Workshop
The benefits of structuring your inbox
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Sub-folders keep all related emails together
Keeps your inbox clear and focused on its proper purpose
Allows integration of email into the wider information to which it relates
Makes it easier to make consistent management decisions
Getting your inbox under control: How to Master that inbox! Workshop
How to structure your inbox
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Exact procedure may vary according to specific email applications
Highlight the inbox
Right-click and select New Folder
Re-title the new folder
Getting your inbox under control: How to Master that inbox! Workshop
Replicate your main filing system
• Try to reflect your main filing system– Makes it easier to integrate relevant information– Makes consistent management easier– Makes it easier for others to find information if
required• But
– Don’t follow it slavishly (i.e. only include those areas that are relevant)
– Be aware that some email systems do not allow you to create further sub-folders
– You may need to shorten folder nameswww.jiscinfonet.ac.uk
Getting your inbox under control: How to Master that inbox! Workshop
Don’t forget your sent items!• Often overlooked but as important as your inbox
• Without active management of your sent items you will:– Quickly fill your email quota– Store important information separate to the other information to
which it relates– Risk losing important evidence through inadvertent deletion
• Treat it in the same way as your inbox– Clear it each day by moving items to the relevant subject folder– Delete the rest
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Getting your inbox under control: How to Master that inbox! Workshop
Deleting emails
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Airline e-ticket for journey to
conference
FOI request
Message to HR requesting a
transfer
Confirmation of project funding
Link to a report on the web relevant to your subject area
Notification of closure of the
car park
Email with copy of minutes of meeting
attached
Reminder of Christmas
closure dates
Keep long term
Delete once read
Keep short term
Getting your inbox under control: How to Master that inbox! Workshop
What makes an ‘email record’
• Exactly the same properties as you would look for in other types of record
• Emails that:– Are evidence of a transaction– Document what was done, why, by whom and when– Form part of the audit trail– Contain unique and valuable information
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Getting your inbox under control: How to Master that inbox! Workshop
Integrating ‘email records’ with other records• Your inbox (and its sub-folders) is a silo• You should transfer emails likely to be of
use/significance to others as soon as possible– Should be stored alongside like information– E.g. in shared file server
• Exactly when this should occur will vary according to the type of email in question and its usage– Immediately?– At project closure?– Annually?– Once approved?
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Getting your inbox under control: How to Master that inbox! Workshop
Other things to consider
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What is the record?
Getting your inbox under control: How to Master that inbox! Workshop
What do you need to capture?
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Getting your inbox under control: How to Master that inbox! Workshop
Some ‘handy hints’…
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Use Rules and Alerts to automate the management of your emails according to predefined rules.
Such as forwarding to specific folders based on sender, title, word or other characteristic
Getting your inbox under control: How to Master that inbox! Workshop
Some ‘handy hints’…
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Use colour to organise your inbox
• Ensure that messages from a certain person (such as your boss) stand out by receiving them in a different colour
• Highlight those messages that are only addressed to you
Can all help you to keep on top of your inbox…
Getting your inbox under control: How to Master that inbox! Workshop
That’s all very well but I’ve got 3000 messages in my inbox at the moment…
• Start with this new approach for all new messages from tomorrow onwards
• Tackle the backlog in a gradual, realistic way• Make a decision as to whether to keep or destroy every
message over 12 months old as a one off batch process• Seek advice within your institution on this• At the beginning of each month review the contents of that
month’s emails for the previous year and sort accordingly• A 12 month process!• Remember your sent items!!
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Getting your inbox under control: How to Master that inbox! Workshop
Any questions?
Good luck!!