Tech Rest

Fireside Chat on Escape From Email Hell

Saturday (December 1, 2007) I had a great time doing a podcast with Lisa Haneberg about my book Escape From Email Hell. She is a great friend and a leading communicator on management and leadership issues.

Lisa put me at ease and asked some excellent questions. I had fun doing the show and I think you will enjoy listening and will discover a new idea or two that can make a difference in your quest toward better email management.

A behind the scenes note: During the recording of the show it was approaching 70 degrees (F) in Birmingham, AL (my home) and outside Lisa's window it started snowing!

To check out the podcast (or better yet, subscribe to the series): Lisa Haneberg's podcasts and webcasts.

For learn more about Lisa's work visit LisaHaneberg.com. Also, I highly recommend her books. My favorites are Focus Like A Laser Beam and Two Weeks to a Breakthrough.

It’s Done! Escape From Email Hell Is Published (Email Monday)

Thanks to all of you who have made this possible. My first book, Escape From Email Hell is now available.

If you are in Email Hell or know someone who is, pick up a copy or two. The book comes with a money back guarantee.

It's available from in two formats: eBook ($6.95 – USD) or paperback ($13.95 – USD).

What to know more? Check out my page on Lulu.com or view the draft chapters.

If the book resonates with you, invite me to speak to your organization. For more about this, see About Speaking Engagements.

Escape From Email Hell - Draft Chapters

Are you in Email Hell? Know someone who is? Or do you get a ton of email and just want to know how to manage it better? Then this book is for you. In 10 short entertaining stories about Ed and his encounters with the Email Angel, you will learn the secrets that lead to Email Heaven. The average person reading this gets over 20,000 emails per year. It’s worth investing the time to read this book and apply the principles in it. So what are you waiting for . . . let’s get started!

The chapters shown below are my drafts. Take a look and see if you enjoy them. To purchase the book (Ebook or paperback), visit Lulu.com .

• Chapter 1 - Ed meets the angel and learns the first step to escape
• Chapter 2 - Ed learns the basics about email processing
• Chapter 3 - Ed learns the most important habit to escaping hell
• Chapter 4 - Ed learns the secret of the three buckets
• Chapter 5 - Ed gets a Blackberry
• Chapter 6 - Ed learns the importance of finding the fastest way
• Chapter 7 - Ed learns the importance of picking the right tool
• Chpater 8 - Ed gets a promotion and his email issues increase
• Chapter 9 - Ed learns how to keep work at work and home at home
• Chapter 10 - Ed finds out how to overcome his email checking obsession
• Chapter 11 - Ed learns the importance of writing better emails

Escape From Email Hell – Chapter 11 (Email Monday)

Well, Ed was feeling great about life these days and great about his email. Lately, his visits from the Email Angel had been about writing better emails rather than about email management. As Ed began to write better emails he found that he was getting better emails in return. So what had Ed learned about writing better emails?

Never use email for negative communication. Ed found that correcting someone or anything else negative just didn't work well in Emails. It led to hurt feelings and people tended to read those emails again and again and even pass them along to others. He learned to pick up the phone or schedule a meeting for touchy subjects.

Create better subject lines. Ed's goal was to create a subject line that would allow the recipient to easily prioritize messages from him without ever opening them. A good subject line to him included three things: the purpose of the message, the action requested, and when he wanted a response. For example, "Need Your Input on Survey (Please respond by 10/5)".

Include multiple options. Sometimes it seemed like scheduling a meeting with someone could take a dozen messages. Ed would suggest a time and then they would email back. He couldn't do it then, so he would suggest a time and so on. So what Ed started doing was including multiple options in the first email. Something like, "Would Tuesday at 10, Wednesday at 2:30, or Thursday for lunch be better for you?"

Use templates for common responses. For common responses Ed developed some templates where he could just fill in the blanks and send the message. These worked great.

Things had changed so much for Ed. He had been thinking about quitting his job but instead had gotten a promotion. They were now calling him "Ed the Email Guy". Ed had escaped from email hell and moved into email heaven.

For other chapters in the book click, The Book .

Escape From Email Hell – Chapter 10

Well, Ed had been in his new job for about 2 months. He was doing well but found he wanted to create more blocks of time where he could work on important projects without interruption.

He was listening to the in-flight radio on a long flight to Seattle when he heard a familiar voice.

Hello Angel he thought.

Ed, since you've got some time on this flight, I thought I could tell you how you can get more uninterrupted time to work on your projects.

What you need to do is decide when you are going to check your email and only check it then. I suggest that you check those messages from your key contacts (the ones that show up in your Inbox) once an hour. Check your Work folder at 10 and 2. And check your Home folder once at night. For those in your Unknown folder, I suggest you check them once a day.

You will need to set up some auto-responders to send to everyone but your key contacts. For each one, just let them know when you plan to check your email. For instance, for Work you might say, "I check my email each day at 10 and 2 and will respond to your email at that time".

Since you have a little time, why don't you go ahead and set up those auto-responders now.

So Ed got his laptop out and set up the auto-responders.

When he first started checking his email only once an hour, it was hard. He didn't realize how often he was checking his email. But after a while he settled into his new habit. Pretty soon, he was enjoying regular hour-long blocks of time where he could concentrate on his emails. Life was getting better and better for Ed.

For other chapters in the book click, The Book .

Escape From Email Hell – Chapter 9

Ed's new job was going well. The travel was an adjustment but he was home every other week. And besides, he got to keep all his frequent flyer miles!

It was really cool getting all his messages on his laptop, especially since he didn't get any SPAM. Sometimes though it was distracting to see his personal emails while he was working. And it was no fun being reminded of work when he was "off the clock". That night he had a dream.

In the dream he was in the back office of a large post office. He was fascinated with how quickly the mail was sorted into the different locations automatically.

Hello Ed.

Hello Angel.

Ed, you need to automate your email processing. Here's what you need to do. Set up rules so that every message goes to one of four folders: Inbox (for key people), Home, Work, and Unknown (those not in your address book).

That sounds good. That way I would only look at Work messages while I'm at work and Home messages while I'm at home.

That's the idea Ed.

So, Ed, with a little help from the Help Desk got his rules set up. After that things went much smoother.

For other chapters in the book click, The Book .

Escape From Email Hell – Chapter 8

One Friday, a little over a year after his first visit from the Email Angel, Ed gets a message from his boss: "Come see me right away". It scared Ed but he went to see her anyway.

Ed, the company has noticed your increase in productivity and we've decided to offer you a promotion. Now, before you make a decision, I want to tell you a little more about it. About 50% of the time you would be traveling to other locations. Oh course, we would give you a laptop and a corporate credit card. If you accept the position, you would be given an immediate 15% pay increase. Also, you would be eligible for quarterly performance bonuses.

Are you interested?

I don't have to think about this: yes I would like the job.

Great, I'll finish the paperwork, and you can start the new job on Monday. I know you've documented your current position and that Doug is cross-trained for your duties as well. From time to time he may have questions but he has already agreed to accept your old job.

That night, Ed was heading to the parking deck. He was so excited he was whistling! He rounded the corner and saw his car and . . . there was someone in it. It was the Email Angel.

Hi Ed, congratulations on your new job.

Thanks, I wouldn't have gotten it without you. In fact, I might have been fired.

Ed, you, unlike others I have talked to, have done what I've suggested.

Thanks.

I have another suggestion for you: ask your boss on Monday to let you put your personal emails on your laptop.

Okay, I'll do it.

And with that the Email Angel vanished.

So on Monday Ed asked his boss about having his personal emails on his work laptop and she said yes. On the other hand, she also said that any problems caused by spyware and viruses coming from his personal emails would be his responsibility.

At lunch, Ed was thinking about how bad it could be if he got a virus from his email and it spread to the rest of the company. He was starting to reconsider the Angel's advice when he noticed a memo on his desk. It was from the Email Angel. Now, that was a new one.

By now, you've talked to your boss and she has said yes. Also, she has told you that any problems caused by your personal email would be your responsibility. Here is how we are going to handle that.

1. Use a hosted Exchange Mail Box to consolidate your work and home email. Ask George, your friend from church about this. He is already using a good service. With this service all your email will be pulled into one mailbox that you can get to from anywhere you have an internet connection.
2. Use a service to filter out all your SPAM. Having a person filter out your SPAM not only saves you time but it also lessens the chance of Spyware infection.

Both of these services will cost you some money but you can afford it with your new raise.

Well, it took Ed a little time and a little money to get it all set up but it was worth it. Now, he didn't get any SPAM and all his messages ended up in the same place. It worked great.

For other chapters in the book click, The Book .

Escape From Email Hell – Chapter 7

Well things were going along pretty well for Ed. The stress of his emails was getting to be less and less of a problem. In fact, he was pretty satisfied with his work email. On the other hand he was noticing that his home emails were really piling up. He was using three different webmail services now and the way it worked was not very smooth.

One night has was sitting on his couch going through his email when the Email Angel appeared at the other end of the couch. Ed was so startled that he just about dumped his laptop into the floor.

How are you Ed?

I'm doing okay angel, how about you?

In heaven things are always good. I was watching you go through your email when I decided I needed to make another visit. Would you like to make it a little smoother?

Sure.

Ed, what you need to do is use the right tool. That tool needs to be available both offline and online. In addition, you need to be able to move your messages to folders, calendars, and tasks. Guess what Ed; you are using the right tool at work. You just need to use it at home too.

But I like my webmail.

Don't worry, you can still use webmail when you have to, but it will be so much better if you use the same tool most of the time. It's much easier to use the same shortcuts at home and at work.

Okay, I can see that. Tell me more.

This weekend pick up a copy of the software and install it on your laptop. Then have Carol help you set it up so that all three of your webmail accounts automatically get pulled to your desktop email client.

Once that's done, you can manage your home email just like your work. You are going to be surprised at how much faster it is.

Thanks, Angel.

So Ed did as the Angel suggested and he was really surprised at how much better things went. One immediate time savings was that he didn't have to login to three different accounts. And the Angel was right; it was easier when he used one application all the time for his email. He thought he'd miss those webmail applications but he found he didn't. On the other hand, he did use them every now and then when he didn't have his own computer.

Things were just getting better and better for Ed.

For other chapters in the book click, The Book .

Escape From Email Hell – Chapter 6

About 9 months after his first visit from the Email Angel, Ed had a dream. In the dream he woke up on a keyboard about the size of a city block.

Hello Ed, how are you?

Angel, I'm doing well. Why am I here?

You are here to help you learn how to do things even faster in your email.

I guess it has something to do with the keyboard.

Ed, you are smarter than you look. Years ago a company called Palm Computing ruled the hand held computer market. Part of the reason for this was the simplicity of their devices. At Palm, there was a guy who was called the "Click Counter". He had a very important job: to make sure that you could do anything on the Palm in 4 clicks or less. You need to become your own "Click Counter".

You are doing well with your Email but you use the mouse and the menus too much. Learning the keyboard shortcuts can save you a lot of time. Many times keyboard shortcuts are 3 or 4 times faster than other methods. Think about the time savings over 100 or even 1,000 messages.

Okay, Angel, I'll buy that but how do I learn them? Are you going to tell them to me?

I could tell you but its better if you uncover them yourself. The best place to begin your journey is by looking in the Help menu.

Ed, one more thing, as you find shortcuts that you like, learn them one at a time. Put a note on your screen with the shortcuts on it and take it down when you have it memorized.

Thanks, Angel, I'll try it.

For other chapters in the book click, The Book .

This post also appears on CE On Time .

Escape From Email Hell – Chapter 5

Things had been going along nicely for Ed. His new found email organizational skills were working and people were starting to take notice. In fact, he had gotten a promotion! The promotion came with an added perk: a Blackberry.

The first few weeks he felt like a real big shot. Pretty soon though that old familiar feeling of being overwhelmed started to return. In his new position, he was getting more emails than ever before. And his Blackberry was starting to feel more like a curse than a blessing. Sure it was nice to be able to send an email from anywhere. It was also great to have his calendar and contacts with him wherever he was. On the other hand, the thing seemed to never quit buzzing. One time, it even woke him up at midnight buzzing because of some stupid appointment reminder. Yuk!

About a month after he got the Blackberry, he was driving down the road and as he looked over he
saw the Email angel in the passenger's seat.

For the rest of this chapter and other chapters in the book click, The Book .

This post also appears on CE On Time .

Escape From Email Hell – Chapter 4

Ed's first visit from the Email Angel was about 5 months in the past. Things were going so much better it was hard for him to even remember how stressed out he had been over email.

Lately, though he noticed a disturbing pattern: he was forgetting to check his folders and as a result, sometimes he would forget to do things. It wasn't as bad as it had been but it still bothered him. It was irritating and embarrassing to get a call about a meeting 10 minutes after it started. Even worse was the time he forgot about a party his wife had told him about and scheduled a golf match with a friend instead.

He was thinking about these things as he drifted off to sleep that night.

For the rest of this chapter and other chapters in the book click, The Book .

This post has also been featured as a guest post on What's the next action .

Escape From Email Hell – Chapter 3

About a month later things were going pretty well for Ed. He was feeling pretty good and people were starting to notice that his new email habits were making him easier to deal with.

On the other hand, he could never seem to get his Inbox to less than a couple of hundred messages. He knew this was way better than when he started (at over 4000 messages) but it was just nagging at him. Could he do better?

On his way to lunch, he ran into Sharon who worked in another department. They started talking . . .

For more, click Escape From Email Hell - Chapter 3 .

See also

• Chapter 1
• Chapter 2

This post also appears on CE On Time .

Escape From Email Hell - Chapter 2

If you missed the first chapter, see Escape From Email Hell - Chapter 1.

If you have suggestions, please leave me a comment on the the Chapter Page .

Chapter 2

Ed was enjoying his new found freedom. Of the 92 people he emailed to let them know he was deleting all his messages, only 1 responded negatively. He decided it was definitely worth it.

He was talking to his co-worker, Mark, about it a couple of days later.

Hey Mark, how ya doin?

Can't complain. Even if I did, nobody would listen. I thought it was pretty cool what you did.

Yeah, thanks. I feel lighter now. Like a big weight has been kicked off my shoulders.

So how's it goin since the big day?

For more, click Escape From Email Hell - Chapter 2.

This post also appears on CE On Time .

Escape From Email Hell - Chapter 1

Are you in Email Hell? Know someone who is? Keep reading.

I'm writing a book and I would love to have your help. The first installment begins below. I will list the chapters in their entirety on a book page. As I get the drafts written, I will post them. If you give me a suggestion that I use or spot an error that I correct, I'll give you credit in the book. Just leave a comment on the post on the book page. When it's done, I plan to publish it using lulu.com.

Chapter 1

You know Ed. He's a middle-aged man in a middle-sized company who gets tons of email. Whether you are drowning in email or skillfully riding the wave, you'll find something in his story that takes a little stress out of your email. So let's join Ed.

It was a dark and stormy night . . . Oh, wait; that's just the "music" on my iPod. I'm sitting here in my cube that's so small I can't spin my chair around without hitting something. At times even with my earbuds in, I can hear three or four conversations going on. People even check their voice-mail by putting it on speaker. The nerve!

But that's not the worst of it. Oh, my God, I just opened my Inbox and found I have gone over the 4000 messages mark. It grows every day. I've tried and tried but nothing seems to work. I think I may need to quit this job so I can get my email under control. And it's not much better at home. With 5 personal addresses, just checking them is a pain. And half of the messages are just JUNK! This whole email thing has got me stressed out. I want to slap the guy that invented it.

That night, after Ed goes to sleep . . .

This post also appears on CE On Time .

For more, click Escape From Email Hell - Chapter 1.