Radio Silence, Email downtime & Reply All
Posted by Jered | Filed under Choice
Email Downtime
Starting a few weeks ago, I implemented a few of the 4 Hour Work Week principles, namely a reduction in the number of times I check my email and feeds. For my email I have added a “vacation response” that reads:
Dear Colleague,
Due to high workload, I check email twice daily at 9:00 AM and 4:00 PM EST. I respond to urgent email at those times and endeavor to respond to all other email once a week, on Fridays at 9:00 AM EST.
If you require urgent assistance (please ensure that it is urgent) that cannot wait until either 9:00 AM or 4:00 PM, please contact me via phone at XXX-XXX-XXXX.
Thank you for understanding this move to more efficiency and effectiveness. It helps me accomplish more to serve you better.
Sincerely,
Jered
And while I have received some flack from coworkers, the response has been favorable overall. A few of my co-workers have found my response an intriguing and are considering using similar rules for themselves.
Radio Silence
I have also found it incredibly useful to turn off distractions, namely IM, web browsers and feed readers. Going “radio silent” is something that I have been practicing for my entire working career. Changing up routines, shutting down everything that can be a vector of distraction are easy ways to increase focus, especially on a grey Monday.
Reply All
It is my opinion that two of the largest programming “bugs” are as follows:
- One hour default meeting times in Outlook
- The inclusion of a “reply all” feature in any email program
I hate digging through my email, particularly when it is filled with back and forth conversation that I either should have never been involved in, or a coworker uses the “reply all” feature. I found a fabulous website: ThanksNo.com. It has a gentle reminder about how you include people in bulk emails and CC’s.
In a similar overture, I have created PleaseDontReplyAll.com. While the site was patterned after ThanksNo.com, it is targeted at a very specific behavior that is particularly bad in my work environment.
Tags: email, radio silence, reply all
