[Genteel Death]

I don't mean to highlight yours or mine popularity on the internet with this thread. I get so many emails at work, a lot of them expecting to be replied to (non-spamish, work-related messages), I've started to apply rough and ready rules to all internet communication I'm involved with, family, friends etc, possibly leading to some people thinking I'm rude, unprofessional, uncaring or anti-social by nature. With exceptions to this rule when it comes to certain people. I am really an incessant talker and not a good writer in general. I like long-winded messages with one or several strong points surfacing during the written communication process, but it's rare this happens so I tend to ignore what I don't think is directly speaking to me. Anyway, how do you deal with all the communication you deal with online? It'd be interesting to know.

[SuchFriendsAreDangerous]

 

[Genteel Death]

Fair enough suchfriends.

[EVOLghost]

Originally Posted by Genteel Death

possibly leading to some people thinking I'm rude, unprofessional, uncaring

You're not?

[!@#$%!]

Originally Posted by Genteel Death

I don't mean to highlight yours or mine popularity on the internet with this thread. I get so many emails at work, a lot of them expecting to be replied to (non-spamish, work-related messages), I've started to apply rough and ready rules to all internet communication I'm involved with, family, friends etc, possibly leading to some people thinking I'm rude, unprofessional, uncaring or anti-social by nature. With exceptions to this rule when it comes to certain people. I am really an incessant talker and not a good writer in general. I like long-winded messages with one or several strong points surfacing during the written communication process, but if it's rare this happens so I tend to ignore what I don't think is directly speaking to me. Anyway, how do you deal with all the communication you deal with online? It'd be interesting to know.

this is a massive subject, but to tame email the first thing is to schedule times to respond. i.e. don't have it on. then use the in-between times for actual work.

i do email a couple of times a day but for your work you might need to do 3 or 4 (e.g. first thing, mid-morning, mid-afternoon, last thing). the important thing is not to be "always available on email" because then nothing else gets done.

there's a lot more on that. i'd suggest look @ the tim ferris website and search on lifehacker for related articles.

[EVOLghost]

Waiting on responses cuts on your concentration too.

[SuchFriendsAreDangerous]

I say go with the Fight Club approach and send horrifyingly off topic emails to all your contacts to scare them away from bothering you..

 

[!@#$%!]

Originally Posted by EVOLghost

Waiting on responses cuts on your concentration too.

Right-- which is why "i won't check back for responses until X time" works so well. If after 4-8-12-24 hours you havent heard back yet, then you can worry.

---

Eta tim ferris has a good email formula to avoid the dreaded email ping-pong. Fun with friends but not with 50 coworkers

[Rob Instigator]

I have to deal with emails from dozens of people regarding 4-5 different projects all concurrently. It can be quite the pain.

[Genteel Death]

[quote=!@#$%!]Right-- which is why "i won't check back for responses until X time" works so well.
/QUOTE]

That tactic is working well for me when it comes to friends and family, people I expect to be sympathetic towards my busy schedule. When it comes to professional emails I find myself increasingly having to apply stricter rules because of how things can get messy and overshadow my original job description/contract, with considerable impact on performance, which in my case is as pristine as it can be. It's something I'm going through every week and feedback my employers about all the time. It's frustrating because companies working on a budget, particularly a budget that involves public money, create environments where the workload assumes proportions alien to anyone having to deal with it, so you end up being stupefied and can't tell where it starts or finishes.

[floatingslowly]

People know better than to message me. Besides, I only talk to Glice.

[!@#$%!]

[quote=Genteel Death]

Originally Posted by !@#$%!

Right-- which is why "i won't check back for responses until X time" works so well.
/QUOTE]

That tactic is working well for me when it comes to friends and family, people I expect to be sympathetic towards my busy schedule. When it comes to professional emails I find myself increasingly having to apply stricter rules because of how things can get messy and overshadow my original job description/contract, with considerable impact on performance, which in my case is as pristine as it can be. It's something I'm going through every week and feedback my employers about all the time. It's frustrating because companies working on a budget, particularly a budget that involves public money, create environments where the workload assumes proportions alien to anyone having to deal with it, so you end up being stupefied and can't tell where it starts or finishes.

i'm not sure i get 100% what you mean but sounds like they're dumping extra work on your lap via email, yes?

it's even more important them to train them that you won't be available at certain hours. there is no need to argue or bang a shoe or anything, just turn off email when you leave work, and again stick to "email times" to deal with email. the faster you respond the faster they expect you to respond.

here's a quick article that refers to the tim ferris method:

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/241423

ferris is funnier in his book though

 

here's a more detailed/wonky discussion

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20130...n-t-manage-you

and this is something you can share with the bosses, if they insist of pestering their workers at all hours:

https://hbr.org/2015/09/fixing-our-u...ith-work-email

alright. break someone's legs!