Believe it or not, I often hear people complaining that they are cluttered by E-Mail or falling behind their emails. When ever I come across such conversation, I immediately think of ‘Poor Management’. E-Mail is by far a poor communication tool and when used for critical business process, it should always backed by some rigid communication. It is like tossing the coin in the fountain, you have no idea whether it reached your recipient and does not guarantee any facial expression. If the message is critical, normally people always backup with a phone call or an instant messenger.
Why so many E-Mails?
One of the prime suspect is the ‘CC’ traditionally translated to ‘carbon copy’. People became acquainted to using CC and using it liberally became the problem. You are tagged between a conversation between two recipients (From & To) which may sometimes get over 10 E-Mail thus overloading your Inbox. By the end of the day, all you need is a single E-Mail with the outcome of the conversation between ‘From’ and ‘To’.
The next suspect is automated systems. Today, any system (from hardware to software) can send an E-Mail. If one system/software send you one E-Mail every 4 hours, then by the end of the day you have 6 E-Mail to ignore. Most of the new system tools today are using ‘Dashboard’ mechanism to keep you informed and eliminate E-Mail clutter.
‘Poor Management’
This one is vital as it serves and supports the strategy of any business. Trust me, cluttered E-Mail shakes the business. If you are unable to keep up your E-Mail, it means either your business does not have a clear regulations on E-Mail communication or you are over loaded with responsibilities. Either way, the work is not get done on time.
This applies mainly to business leaders, for others it is a different story.
