Organising my email

I receive a lot of email. I’m often asked about managing email. So, I thought I’d share my approach and some interesting things I’ve come across in the past that you might like to try (or not).

Disclaimer: I don’t class this as best or good practice, it just works for me.

My approach

1. I have a folder dedicated to every project I’m working on. When a new project comes on board a new folder gets created. I’m very organised and find it very easy to place messages using this approach.
   1. My naming convention is simple—the official project title. No acronyms or any of that crap which reminds me to use the full title when speaking about them publicly.
   2. To help with ordering and being able to quickly find things I usually prefix the project title with the lead organisation’s name e.g. infoNet A, infoNet B, Jisc A, Jisc B, UCISA A, UCISA B, etc.
2. I commute to work, which takes between 30-60mins. I spend five minutes deleting rubbish and skimming my messages on my way in. Important messages remain in my inbox. Other emails are stored in an appropriate folder.
3. I take another look at the important messages I’ve received when I arrive at work. Anything that requires further action is added to my to-do list (I use Wunderlist). The majority of emails can then be stored, I’m sometimes left with messages that are a bit left-field.
4. With regards to point 3, I have three obscure folders for storing information:
   1. Queries. I work for an advisory service and so receive various queries from across the UK education space;
   2. For information. Where I store useful information received relating to my role/areas of interest;
   3. and Appraisal. I store feedback here which I use to shape up my appraisal documentation.
5. I archive my email about once a year by saving my inbox (and sub-folders) as a .pst file. Then I start my folders afresh.

Instant messaging

I would also strongly urge anyone to think seriously about what they use to communicate with others. At the time of writing Skype is my preferred instant messaging tool and I use that for quick questions I know won’t take up too much of someone’s time. I also prefer using it to make calls because it gives me the freedom to make notes. I do think that my use of Skype reduces the amount of emails I receive. I make myself available via Skype because I prefer to solve something there and then rather than having to manage an email so to speak.

Of interest

Some of the following have worked for me, some haven’t but you might find them interesting!

• Managing your email infoKit — I know this is a resource from the service I work for but it’s seriously worth a read. Written by the amazing Steve Bailey, it provides loads of hints and tips.
• 8 ways not to manage your email (and 5 and a half tactics that work)
• SaneBox—prioritises your emails and summarises the rest
• Unroll.Me—helps to manage your subscriptions
• Inbox Zero—you’re best off just searching for this, there are loads of articles out there. Many people disagree. The majority of the time I do operate inbox zero, being ruthless helps as do the tips offered by Matt Gemmell (see the last bullet)
• five.sentenc.es—a principle-based approach to creating emails.
• Slack—an alternative for managing team communications < thanks Ignacio
• Managing email realistically < love this :)