Use Your Email Time Well

1. Ask for a specific action, ask a question, or convey quick information.
   Don't use email for discussions, complex strategy sessions or sensitive matters. It's a time drain and opens the door to misunderstandings.
   

2. Sort and prioritize emails.
   Create a "to-read" folder and move low-priority emails to it immediately, and allocate time later to respond all at once. Also, use Outlook rules to automatically redirect announcements, and dare-I-say newsletters, to a folder for later, planned reading.
   

3. Create an automatic signature.
   Best to create both internal and external signatures, since internal contacts only need an extension, while external contacts need your full contact info. Tip: don't use "Thanks, your name" in a signature since you won't really close all messages with thanks. It feels insincere.
                                           More tips...

Use Email to Address Annoying Coworker Issues?

Eldron, who works in PR, wrote in with an email usage problem:

I often work on joint projects with my colleague, Carolyn. She's bright and creative, but honestly, she's very difficult to work with. She "borrows" my materials, talks too much, is often late, leaves food on my desk, and tries too hard to be my friend.

It reached the point where I had to address this, so I wrote her an email politely listing my complaints. I also included a positive section on how this could improve.

Carolyn didn't take this well, and her biggest complaint was that I put this is writing (I only sent it to her.). Was this the correct approach?

                                       Click here for the solution.