According to the Radicati Group, workers worldwide collectively sent 112.5 billion emails each day last year, and the average employee receives 122 work messages a day. That’s a lot of time spent keeping your inbox clean. Fast Company recently asked productivity expert Chris Bailey how to write productive emails, and these were his top tips.
1 Keep it short
Analysis from email scheduler Boomerang shows that messages of 50 to 125 words were the most likely to receive a response. Bailey says he tries to keep his emails to three sentences or less and anything longer calls for a phone conversation. He also suggests doing away with long sign-offs.
2 Choose your time
That same analysis showed messages sent at the beginning of the day and during lunch had the most responses because people coming back from a break or starting their day usually check their emails immediately. Bailey says the key to productive emails is picking the right time to send them; avoid sending messages after work hours and definitely don’t do so if you don’t want to receive emails from other people.
3 Think before you send
Sometimes it’s best to think about a reply before you send one. Does it really need a reply? Are you saying the right thing? Does your message contain all the important information? Save yourself from having to send multiple emails by checking your message before you hit send.
4 Express yourself
You’re more likely to get a response from somebody if you inject a little bit of your personality into the message. Try to use more interesting language if you want to be heard.
5 Create a follow-up folder
If you send an email that requires a response, save it to a folder with a label that tells you it needs to be followed up. That way you know to chase answers and nothing slips through the cracks.
6 Recognise your limits
There comes a point when emails become more of a hindrance than a helping hand. Don’t let your inbox get in the way of more important tasks. If it starts to become a distraction, find ways to break away from it for the sake of productivity.
Read the original article at bit.ly/1splZ61
