Email Hacks
“Your obituary will not mention how many emails you replied to over the course of your lifetime.”
I have a love-hate relationship with emails. I love the rapidity of communication and the ability to collaborate easily with people across the globe. On the other hand, the rapidity of emails leads to poorly constructed messages that lack substance and that can reach us 24 hours a day. Here are a few strategies I use with emails to stay organized and to maintain my sanity as well!
1. Never, ever, ever respond to an email when angry.
We’ve all been there. You open a message and the contents are so rude, so incredulous, so <insert multiple expletives>! First, breathe. Second, sometimes, let’s face it, you need to write a message. Do not, I repeat, do not start the reply in your email browser. I understand that this message may stay in your draft folder, but you could accidentally hit send, which in some cases could be career ending or at least altering. I start my reply in a Word document on my laptop. Most of the time, the reply stays in the document. After a few minutes to days, I usually decide that I don’t need to reply at all or my reply is quite tempered.
2. Consider when to reply via phone or a meeting (on-line vs in-person).
If an issue is complex and/or there appears to be a significant misunderstanding, especially if multiple messages are exchanged with no resolution, I ask to set up a call or in person meeting. I have found this strategy tends to preserve and build relationships and also overall, save time. Often the issue can be resolved more quickly and amicably with a human interaction.
3. Use the reply all appropriately.
I appreciate that there are times to reply all, as email can serve as a discussion forum. Read the email carefully and determine if the sender is asking for individual replies. Note of caution, some messages sent to a group of people will look like they came from an individual, but when you hit reply, you’re actually replying to the entire group. Doublecheck the “to” area to ensure that it is going to the individual that you intend to message.
4. Brevity is always preferred.
In the military, emails frequently contain, “BLUF,” bottom-line up front, i.e. if you don’t read anything below this BLUF, this is the key take home message I need you to understand. The rest of the message contains the details. Many people read and respond to > 50% of their emails from a mobile device. Consider if you can edit your message to be readable on a mobile device without scrolling.
5. Consider tone and professionalism.
I always look at how the sender signed the email when deciding to reply by first name or professional title. If I am sending it to a group, I generally use professional titles, unless the group norm has been established that first names are acceptable. While brief emails are preferred, overly short replies, such as “Yep,” “Yeah,” or “Not done yet,” may come off as overly casual, curt or dismissive. Use emojis cautiously, as some may find them distracting or immature. Ultimately, consider how your message may be interpreted and you don’t want the way you respond to distract from the substance. If you’re feeling rushed, consider saving the reply in your drafts folder to reply more professionally later.
6. Set-up a triage system.
On really busy days, you may only have a few minutes to read and reply to messages.
VIP lists: On my iPhone, I have set up my VIP list, which includes my husband, Department Heads, schedulers, close friends and key colleagues. On really busy days, I only look at my VIP filter. I also have an Apple watch and I receive an alert when my VIPs email me as well.
Max lines setting on mobile device. Under email settings on my mobile device, I have it set to 5-line preview. This allows me to get the gist of the message without opening it.
7. Maximize email functionality.
I primarily use Gmail on a MacBook Air laptop and iPhone.
Gmail tabs are life changing: My current taps are, “Primary,” “Social,” “Updates,” and “Forums.” This allows my focus to be on the most important messages, which are under “Primary.”
Labels: If I’m not deleting an email immediately, it gets a label and frequently a sub-label. For long-term projects, it is very helpful to look back to a label from, for example, Conference 2019, to craft a similar message for the following year.
Filters: some messages are reoccurring and will always require the same label. I set-up an auto filter, such as “Schedule updates for x hospital.”
Keep your inbox tidy. I look at an email once, and I delete, reply, or label it with the intent to respond later. I use a multi-label system. The message will get a label regarding the primary subject, for instance, “Schedule requests,” and then I label it with either, “today,” “a week,” “a month,” “a someday,” or “to read.” When I’m really busy, only the today area gets attention. These are messages that are time sensitive and I must reply same day for personal and/or professional reasons. Confession- I rarely make it to my “a month,” label. I generally use this for items that I need to peripheral awareness. “Someday” labels are interesting ideas or projects that I don’t have the bandwidth for, but I want to remember the idea. “To read,” are interesting articles that I plan to read later. I add in the “a” to keep these labels at the top of my label list.
Auto-forward for rarely used accounts. Sometimes we must set up an account linked to an organization. If permitted, set up auto-forward to your preferred account. If you cannot set-up auto-forward due to permissions related to that account (often hospital systems prevent auto-forward), consider an away message, for instance, “I work per diem at this site and do not have regular access to this email. If you need to reach me, please send a HIPAA compliant message to my personal email to check this account.” I word it this way, because frequently you are being asked to sign a chart or respond to another HIPAA protected issue that cannot be forwarded to your personal account.
8. Consider a personal and professional email.
I have two Gmail accounts. I use one for on-line shopping, or anytime I’m worried that giving my email will result in spam. This is my extremely low priority email. My other Gmail account is used for professional communication.
