Email Etiquette – How to Save Time

This month’s tip is on email etiquette.  Email subject lines should accurately reflect the subject of the email.  In addition, email should not be used as a substitute for picking up the phone.  If not, you are probably wasting others’ time.

Email messages usually start off the right way, but often a back and forth reply stream follows, and the content of the email often changes from what is in the subject line.  This is a problem when you remember the content from an email message but the subject line does not reflect the content.  The result is time wasted trying to find the specific email message.  In order to keep your frustration low and keep the frustration low of those you correspond with, make sure the email subject line accurately reflects the content of the email.  The solution is to change the email subject line if the content changes.

Email messages should not be used as a substitute for a phone conversation, or a meeting.  If you are like me, I receive over 100 email messages a day.  A vast number of them could be eliminated if a short 10-15 minute meeting was scheduled and a single email was sent out summarizing agreements and action items.

If you take these simple steps, you will save yourself time, and the time of the individuals you communicate with.  Remember, the time you save may be your own.