I was going to clean out email.....but...

It got ahead of me!

Email is my nemesis! I clean out email and then hundreds more pile in. I look forward to traveling or quiet days so I can clean up my emails. However, I can't keep up! Truth be told, I find more value outside of email, so I easily fall behind. Here's the thing, one email can turn into several emails quickly, when it could've been resolved quickly in a conversation. Here's an example. I send an email to my colleague and she responds with a question and then I respond with a suggestion or another answer/question and she responds "thank you" and then I respond, "no problem". It's a never ending cycle! If I walked over to her office, I could've been done in 2 seconds and I also could've built onto a great relationship by having that in-person connection.

Do you feel my pain? Email was invented to be a time saver, but it has become a time suck! Have you found yourself spending hours in email just trying to stay ahead? Have you ever thought that you might be missing out on more meaningful conversations, solutions and connections by looking beyond email and actually getting up and talking to someone?

My CEO announced a new rule, which everyone was excited about. "We're going to make it a rule to respond to email within 24 hours! " Sounds simple, right? Right! Well, I thought the same thing. "I was saying, No Problem! I've got this!" Well, I failed! I asked my team how I was doing (thinking they were going to praise me and say that I'm wonderful). They responded with a loud NO. I wasn't responding within the 24 hours!

It's not that I avoid emails, but I might be in meetings or have other priorities that are grabbing my attention, so email falls behind. So, what am I doing to get ahead? Here are some tips and tricks that I'm using to try and stay on track.

1. Stay out of email. I say this to my team all the time. Having personal conversations has so much more value. Before you send an email, stop and think, "should I just walk over and talk to this person?" "Should I pick up the phone?" My rule is, if this email will spur a conversation and isn't just a quick "yes" or "no" answer that you're expecting, then you NEED to get up and talk with someone. You'll be amazed that it's so much more powerful to talk it through live than in person. You may even get more information than you expected by just talking to the person. Have you ever had a conversation with someone and they say, "Oh! That reminds me!.." That won't happen over email. What are you missing?
2. Are emotions involved? If emotions are involved, or the email is going to invoke emotion, get out of email! I like to assume a good intention but with email, you lose the tone. If you worry about how an email is going to be received, don't send it. Have a conversation with someone. Another good rule of thumb is to state your intentions with the email. State your intentions helps remove the barriers or take down any walls that might come through emotions. I've seen the Rage Click stickers on computers. If you start getting into Rage Click mode...walk away!
3. If you must send an email (ugh!), keep it brief. We're all busy and we don't have time to read a multi-page email. If you can't keep your email brief, it might be time for a conversation. You may lose your audience by sending them a litany. Now, there are times where this is important (i.e. documenting a situation), but should be used judiciously.
4. Think of your audience. When writing an email, think about how the person will receive it. If you're sending it up to senior leaders, this is especially important. They may not want a ton of detail (depending on what you're sending)
5. Watch REPLY ALL. I so love the reply all "funnies" that get sent after an email at times, but be cautious of the reply all button. Should I say more?
6. Don't wait for a response. This is something I see quite often. People wait for an answer or say, "I sent them an email" and assume the buck is passed. If you don't get an answer, follow up. Maybe it's time to go talk with the individual and ask them. One of my generalists knows how BAD I am with email so she will text me right after sending me an email if she needs an answer. It makes me laugh, but it catches my attention and her email is the first that I respond to.

There is a place for email, and now other communication tools like texting, but these things are to be used for quick hits. If it's more than that, I think we should revert back to the old school method of talking with each other. It's not often that I'm reverting to "old school methodologies." However, this is invaluable, especially for virtual teams. It shouldn't be your one stop shop for all things communication.

So, tell me, what are your best practices with email?