September 2013 - Getting it Together

Email Productivity Tips

Imagine if everyone followed the same email productivity tips.

What would our inboxes look like?

Can you imagine how much more time you would have?

How things would not be lost in translation?

Check out this short video on one of my favorite tips. Please share the love by sharing the link.

Until these top email productivity tips became a universal law we can all start be using them and sharing them.

Tip #1: The 2-3 cc law.

What this means is limit the number of people you send an email to. For example if you are in an office and the whole office needs to be in the loop of the email send it to the group. However, if the email is really designed for only a few people in the office limit it to 2 or 3 people max.

Address the “to” box to the person who needs to reply.

Address the CC to the ones who need to be in the loop but does not need to reply. (CC’s never replies.)

You may have 2 names in the “to” box and one in the “cc” or you may have one name in the “to” and 2 in the ‘cc”.

Either way, the idea is to limit the number of people you send it to and who is responsible for relying.

Tip #2: 2 pass and call.

In other words if an email gets sent to you and you do not understand it you send back an inquiry. If you still do not understand it, pick up the phone and talk to the person. This avoids a lot of miss communication and misunderstanding.

Most importantly, never discuss things of high emotional content over email. This is sure to get lost in translation.

Tip#3: Subject Line.

Be as specific as you can in the subject line. Follow this:

TIQ:

T: Topic. For example, Golf or dinner party or business meeting.

I: Issue. You are invited, or Tuesday at 3, or to discuss upcoming employment.

Q: Qualifier. Please confirm, or RSVP, or full-time employment starting Friday.

Example of what a subject line would look like: Golf on Tuesday at 3pm, please confirm if you are playing. Or,

Company business meeting on Tuesday at 3 pm to discuss full –time employment, are you available?

Tip#4: One subject per email.

Do you ever get those emails that have several questions in them for you to answer?

You start off reading it and you are thinking about answering the first question when all of a sudden your mind is in overwhelm because there are so many questions and things to think about. You end up answering only one of the questions and it usually is the last one. This makes it frustrating for the person who sent it to you.

It is better to send several emails to one person with each one only containing one subject and one or 2 questions regarding that subject.

Tip#5: Change the subject line each time you change the subject.

Don’t you hate it when you have sent an email to a person about let’s say golf and they reply. Then a day or two later they use that same email to send you a question or invite about something totally different. If this email needs to be filed it now has the wrong subject line in order for you to properly file it.

If it is sitting in your inbox you might even ignore it if the subject line is not pertaining to the subject of the email.

I would love it if this became a universal law!

Tip#6: Point form.

This tip is really helpful when sending business emails.

Have 3 points.

Point #1: Email content. Spill your heart out on whatever it is you need the person to know.

For example: I require your approval for xyz.

Point #2: Explain the issue at hand. Give more details.

For example: I would like to budget for xyz because…

Point #3: Qualify. For example: Please let me know if you approve and when I can get the funding. My deadline is… So your immediate attention would be greatly appreciated.

The person replying to the email replies under each one of your points. I like this one a lot. That way everything “should” be clear!

By using these tips I’ll bet you find your email sending and receiving will be far more productive. Please let me know your progress in the comment box below. In the meantime you will want to share these tips with all of your coworkers, friends and family so we are all on the same page when it comes to sending and receiving emails.

Just think of the time you will save and how you will spend it!

Have you signed up for your instant access to a free ebook that outlines a simple 10-day plan for organizing 10 different areas of your home in 15 minutes or less? If not, enter your name and email in the box to the right.

By Rowena List|2020-06-07T20:52:43+00:00September 30th, 2013|Organizer, Time Management|0 Comments

A Cluttered Life – how is it affecting your relationships?

Have you ever been out with a friend or been in a business meeting and known that the other person is not giving you their undivided attention?

Or you were talking to someone on the phone and you know darn well they are not paying attention.

How does this make you feel? Have you ever been caught on the other end of the stick?

Multitasking does not pay off.

How can you stay engaged and focused when you have a cluttered mind or a cluttered life?

Check out this short video:

Did you know the mind can only focus on one thought at a time?

I was having a big meeting the other day. The person I was with had their phone on the table. Each time it buzzed beeped moved or shook she looked. These little interruptions make our would- have-been 30 minute meeting into 45 minutes. You think not so bad only an extra 15 minutes however, that all adds up. Not to mention I did not feel important or special. I was wanting to hire this person for one of my clients. Would they give my client their undivided attention?

Could this multitasking cost you a job? Could this multitasking be costing you a loving relationship? Could this multitasking be giving you a cluttered mind or a cluttered life?

A doctor was telling me that her nine year old daughter will ask her “mommy where did you just go” when she sees her mom lose attention or disengage. Imagine a nine-year-old being tuned into that. Her precious nine year old mind is not cluttered and hopefully she does not have a cluttered life.

Why not give these top 5 tips on a cluttered life a try.

Tip #1: Start by dedicating your full attention. Relationships are built on trust and you earn trust by listening and proving you are interested. If you cannot do this then rebook your time with them.

Tip#2: Turn off your phone, computer, etc. when you are in the company of others. Especially business meetings and family time.

Tip #3: Focus by really concentrating on the other person’s words. Listen to them instead of thinking about what you might say next.

Tip #4: Clear your mind of other thoughts prior to a meeting or prior to family time, by taking a few deep breaths or listening to your favorite tunes.

Tip #5: Don’t answer your phone unless you can give your full attention to the person on the other end.

Is a cluttered life hurting your relationships? Are you able to give your full attention to the person you are with? Are you able to turn off work when you get home and hang out with your kids?

Do you need to take a few minutes to change “hats?” If so, you will want to take those few minutes.

In the long run people remember how you made them feel. They do not always remember your words or actions.

Everyone has an invisible sign hanging around their neck that reads “make me feel important”…even you.

By Rowena List|2020-06-07T20:52:43+00:00September 13th, 2013|Organizer, Self Care Organization, Time Management|3 Comments

A Cluttered Life – what is hiding in your box?

Has this ever happened to you?

You moved from one home to another.

Prior to the move, you decide to downsize, purge and toss. You have the best of intentions. You start off in one room. Before long you are getting distracted and losing focus. All of a sudden the phone rings with a better offer on the other end. You know what I mean. You decide the better idea would be to just simply pack everything and toss/clear out the clutter when you unpack in your new pad.

Check out this short video on a cluttered life:

Fast forward.

You are in your new living space. Time goes by.

There is a box or two sitting on the sidelines. What are your thoughts each time you pass that box? Maybe you even kick it out of the way. Are you saying “I must empty the box.” “What is in that box anyway?” These thoughts are causing mind clutter.

The other day I was working with a client and such a box appeared. It had been neatly, well actually not so neatly, packed 26 years ago. One of those last-minute tossing in and go boxes. Upon opening the box we discovered unopened greeting cards from her second wedding anniversary. Inside one card was a crisp new 26 year old $20 bill. Bingo!! Let’s open all the cards. Another envelope had a cheque from her grandmother for $75. How come the grandma never questioned her out of balance bank account for 26 years? Conscious or subconscious, this box has been weighing heavy on my clients mind. Thinking about it and worrying about it takes up precious time. Not to mention paying to have it moved and storing it in the garage.

Here are my top 3 tips to helping you with a cluttered life and how to de-clutter it.

Tip #1: Take the 15 minutes to do it right. Instead of tossing things into a box simply take the 15 minutes to deal with the stuff you are about to dump into that box. Book those 15 minutes with yourself like it is a client appointment. Put this appointment right in your calendar. It is a date with yourself and the box.

Tip#2: Set up piles for keep, shred, toss, recycle or donate. Handle each piece of paper once or each item once. Putting it in one of those piles. The key factor here is to stay focused on that one task for 15 minutes. That one box. Turn off the phone, email indicator, close the door, do whatever it takes. Just think how clear your mind will feel once you have emptied that box.

Do you have more than one such box? If so, handle one box at a time in 15 minute increments.

Tip#3: Once you have your piles, you need to deal with them. The toss and recycle piles are the easiest. Donate is easy if you remember to put the items in your car and drop them off at your local charity. Shred is straight forward. Get your kids to do that for you if they are old enough or you can do it while watching TV. The keep pile is where the rubber meets the road. Take each item and deal with that item. Does it need to be filed? Does it need to be put away? Do you need to set up a system for some items?

You will be surprised at how fast you move if you have the 15 minute timer on and stay focused.

We are humans and take the path of least resistance. You do not want to do this when it comes to your boxes. In the long run it will save you so much grief and stress. Kiss a cluttered life goodbye.

By Rowena List|2020-06-07T20:52:43+00:00September 2nd, 2013|Home Organization, Organizer, Organizing to Move|0 Comments