We covered email and the basics of managing it in the last post. This time we will focus on Outlook and how it can be used to properly manage the process.
Why do I say "properly" manage? Simply put, Microsoft Outlook, right out of the box, will do more to take time away from you rather than save it. We spoke to managing your time through effective use of Outlook as a tool. And we can! However, Microsoft is a software developer, not a productivity organization. As such, they strive to put all the bells and whistles into an application as possible. The why is so that they can create perceived value and drive revenue.
Think for a moment about how you organize your day? Some make a "To Do" list and check off each item in the order written. Some take the time to prioritize the list but still use the "checklist" process. In both examples, email is not usually on the list! Nor is time.
Prioritizing the list is an excellent way to determine what needs to be done, and in what order. What it does not address is the time involved. So let's look at Outlook and see where we can make changes to more effectively use it as a tool.
First things first. TIME is what matters. So would it not make sense to have Outlook open to the Calendar page? One would think so but, in case you haven't noticed, it opens to the email page. Why? Because Microsoft markets Outlook as an email platform. In can be much more than that in the hands of a knowledgeable user!!
Step one - change the settings to have Outlook open on the calendar page. Take a look at your day. Meetings? Calls to be made? Other "time" activities? You should find all of those on the calendar.
Step two - turn off the reminders! You just looked and you should be working from the calendar page. I promise, once you get the process down, you will not forget to do something that is on the calendar.
Stop! You said this was about email. When is that coming? Well, it is coming right now. We just needed to set your frame of mind around time rather than the email itself. Now that we have done that, let's move on.
There are many moving part in managing email and we will cover many in future posts. In this one, we want to just set up Outlook properly so that we can use it to manage the email rather than having the email manage us.
In the email settings, you will find many defaults that need to be turned off. They are time robbers! First, let's turn off the notification! You know what that is, right? It's the little envelope that pops up on your desktop or withing Outlook every time an email arrives. And every time that email envelope appears, what do you do? Of course, you look at the email. It makes no difference that you are in the middle of a time critical item, you look! Does this possibly bring Pavlov's Dog Experiment? Do you mentally salivate every time the envelope appears?
Notification OFF. Check! Now what? The second big time robber is the "reading pane" view. That's the one where you get a sneak peek at the first few lines of the email. Now tell me that you don't read the first few lines but may not open it to read the entire email. Think of that process similar to moving the paperwork that you need to do from one side of the desk to the other, moving from pile to pile and never getting done. Reading pane - OFF. That kills time robber #2.
Now let's go back to the Calendar! Schedule time to review and act upon email. I can here you say, "what do you mean schedule time to read email". And my answer it exactly as it sounds. Block off time on your schedule to take care of the email! Only you will know if it takes 30 minutes or an hour. Some may get it done in even less time. The difference is that your email is no longer a time robber. You set aside time to address it!
And now that the time has arrived to deal with the "Inbox", we need to set up 4 very specific action to take with each email. No shuffling it back and forth. No setting flags on it (the why to come later). Nope, we are going to deal with it now. Her are the 4 actions ( or the 4 D's).
1. Do it now. You read the email and can take action (it requires a response of some type and the information is handily available). In that case...DO IT!
2. Delay. In other words, schedule it for a future time. You may need more information, files that are not accessible right now, or you may not currently have time and it is not critical.
3. Delegate. Is the request in the email something that you have to do personally or is it something that just has to be done and you have staff that can assist? If it's the latter, delegate. And then set a schedule to follow up to ensure completion.
4. Delete it! You read the email. It did not require action or your part nor that of a staff member. While it was informational, it was not something that required retention in a folder. Now DUMP it. Get rid of it. Clear it out.
The above process, the 4 D's, is going to take you out of your comfort zone initially. Understood! But being uncomfortable is part of stretching and learning a new way of doing something. You will feel better, I promise.
W just scratched the surface on using Outlook for time management. We changed only a couple of settings, so far. Yes, there are more to be made. In the meantime, focus on what truly is important and eliminate the time robbers that we addressed above. Do that and you will have "created" more time to work that priority list.
More to come in the next post.
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