Is the email nut still a hard one to crack? Is it time to take stock and give yourself a break, and acknowledge some realities! Read how to “Roast this old Chestnut” using the 12 email nut crackers in this Xmas issue.

12 Email Nut Crackers

An easy way to “Roast that Old Chestnut !!

On the first day of Xmas Orla granted me

1.  The right to “Acknowledge that there is no way anyone can actually deliver on all the requests made of them via email.” There is no shame in not being ‘perfect’ when perfection is completely unachievable.

On the second day of Xmas Orla said to me

2. Understand that less is more. Communicate, don’t lecture, when composing emails.

On the third day of Xmas Orla confided in me

3. That everyone has this problem No-one ‘loves’ email so don’t feel guilty that this technology has gotten out of hand; it’s hardly our fault. The solution is within me: I am not the cause of the problem.

On the fourth day of Xmas I learned to

 4. Change my attitude to email. It is not a panacea, it’s a powerful communication tool – no more and no less. Use it don’t let it use you!

 On the fifth day of Xmas Orla encouraged me to

5. Identify the 10 standard things I consistently request or reply on and use Orla to create email templates to supply the information I need to communicate – thank you’s, responses to frequently asked questions, admin requests etc.

 On the sixth day of Xmas I started to

 6. Ditch, Ditch, Ditch!!!   Why keep the electronic equivalent of every supermarket receipt, bus ticket, scribbled Post-it note or mildly interesting information flyer about some event I know I’m never going to attend? Re-reading old emails over and over again adds nothing to my ability to turn them into productive output.

 On the seventh day of Xmas Orla suggested that I 

7.   Go to my inbox reluctantly. If something is uber-urgent I’ll find out quickly enough when the person calls me and to treat each visit to the inbox as a distraction from my real work, and when I go there use the 4D’s to plan and organize the resulting work within each email and then get back to the fun stuff I’m actually paid to do (no one’s job description begins with ‘spend 2-3 hours sending and receiving email’).

On the eighth day of Xmas Orla taught me to 

8.  Recognize email for what it is: almost always an interruption to something much more important that I could be doing. (Weekend blackberry users take note: why do you allow your employers to have you work for no pay outside of already extended business hours?)   ‘Always on’ emailers usually ascribe more value to getting an email than actually doing something as a result of receiving it.

On the ninth day of Xmas I recognized

 9.   That there are only 10 things anyone can do with an email and to use my time in the inbox to take the next action.

 On the tenth day of Xmas I realized

10.   That most email is temporary. It is relevant only for a very short period of time and so can be dispensed with aggressively, either by planning the work, putting the email away or ditching it forever.

On the eleventh day of Xmas I put in place to

11.  Tell people I’ve changed my habits. Ask them to call you more: define when it’s good for you to be contacted by mail; let them know how you’ll handle emails, plan your work and schedule their responses, and tell them how your system works for you. A Tmail is a good technique to use here. Set, then change people’s expectations, and then live your new email work style.

On the twelfth day of Xmas Orla helped me understand to

 12.   Value my time properly.   At work, it’s all I’ve got and there’s never enough of it. Recognize all the time I’m losing to email; my health, career and family will all benefit.  Email has robbed me of my time: I’m going to – Take it back now!!

This lovely tale was provided by our friends at Orla.  If you would like to try and 30 day trial of this plug in product that works with your MS Outlook, click on any of the Orla links. 

Happy Holidays! 

(C) Strategize & Organize.  Anne McGurty

This morning I was working on my website and I had the television on in the background and was listening to Wayne Dyer talking.  He said something that really struck home with me. 

“When we live in a place of passion, we can create anything.  Passion is the creative source in our soul.. live it and let it be your number one source of living life.. it is God guiding you.”

Now I know that may be a little too “God focused” for a business dialogue, but I see the value in living your passion.  When we feel something inside of us,driving us, and we ignore, I think we are destined to live in chaos.  The chaos is the conflict of doing what we think we should be doing versus what we enjoy doing.

I know I get so excited when I am working with people, being productive, being of service.  It is obviously nurturing my soul when I am working with others, my clients, my friends. 

Think about your life, try to feel it in your heart and soul.  Is it serving you? Or are you serving another force outside your comfort zone.  If your life is calm, organized, and balance, chances are you are living your passion.  If you are feeling conflict and disorder, there is opportunity to strategize and organize yourself into a more fulfilling life.

(C) Strategize and Organize.   Anne McGurty.  2009

New ezine posted to my website.  Check it out.  http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs046/1011229403079/archive/1102809889469.html

Anne catered to our specific situation which made the daunting task of organization more approachable.

Anne provides simple, implementable ideas that can have an immediate impact.

Anne made a complicated process easy to understand and simple to implement.

Anne offers concrete suggestions that can easily be implemented.   She also offered strategies based on your natural tendencies and personality.

Anne’s program made me realize my unorganized behavior but showed me how I could correct it and increase my productivity.

I found this Google gadget that can help. Simply bookmark this link and you can use it over and over again. Just look for the time zones and it will put them side by side: http://dev.choonkeat.com/js/cleartz/index#

This handy tool was a tip provided by my colleague, Athenee Mastrangelo!

Helping people live a more productive life by improving the quality of their life at work and at home.