Comments on: I’m Winning the War on Email Overload: How Come I Feel Guilty?

By: Neil Anuskiewicz

Neil Anuskiewicz — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 04:59:22 +0000

You lose a LOT of opportunities without email. That is how a LOT of business is conducted these days. Check.

By: Chess Openings Guru

Chess Openings Guru — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 04:36:49 +0000

I know what you mean. I guess I can’t relate to the “feeling rude” part, because I never see Internet communication as authentic communication anyways. If the e-mail is that important, he/she should have called me or talked to me in person.
But what I DO feel is that same looming question: “WHAT IF I’M MISSING THAT LIFE-CHANGING CLIENT INQUIRY?”
So I sit back, calm down, and tell myself that life is not about trying to take advantage of every single opportunity. We live in America. There are a TON of opportunities. You can’t catch them all. You can’t be everything. You have to pick and choose.

By: Neil J. Squillante

Neil J. Squillante — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 06:57:03 +0000

Zapping legitimate mail that gets placed in your Junk folder is foolhardy in my opinion — unless, despite the volume of messages you receive, you don’t conduct much business through email.
I don’t even use a junk folder. I have a public address and a private address. With no spam at my private address, every message is from a colleague, client, or prospective client.
Also, I believe most legitimate email newsletter publishers have unsubscribe mechanisms that work. You do realize that you’re posting in a blog operated by a major email newsletter publisher?

By: Neil Anuskiewicz

Neil Anuskiewicz — Sun, 02 Sep 2007 23:20:13 +0000

By and large, I love email. Yes, it can be too much at times but it is a fantastic tool both for business and personal.
I keep in regular touch with some friends and business associates through email. I have family and friends that live in far flung places, and email has really made it possible to keep up with their lives better. Perfect? No.
Sometimes it is definitely better to pick up the phone! Do it WITHOUT DELAY when you have not spoken to someone important in your life for too long.

By: B.L. Ochman

B.L. Ochman — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 16:48:07 +0000

Elaine: That’s eggzactally what led me to take this step.
Unnecessary emails were taking up an inordinate, and generally unbillable amount of time.
I think you’ll find more and more people saying “no more!” to email.
It’s too damn easy to hit “send” without thinking.
Half the emails are people saying stuff like “thanks” “ttyl” and other small talk after the task or conversation is done. and sometimes, those go back and forth 10 times. i just won’t play that game.
Jeff: pretty big assumption! I should have made that more clear to begin with i guess.

By: Jeff

Jeff — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 15:41:33 +0000

“I hope you don’t think this is the first mention i made of this to clients and friends. it’s the 100th. the first 99 were very polite and positive.”
Ah, that makes much more sense now. I pictured you toiling away every day with your emails until you finally got frustrated and created your auto-response without mentioning your problem to clients and friends. Sorry for the confusion.

By: Elaine Fogel

Elaine Fogel — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 01:18:30 +0000

BL, I’m in shock. 750 e-mails a day! That needs more than an, “Oy vey!”
Oy gevalt!
I can’t even fathom beginning to handle that volume. Plus, you have blogs to manage. When do you: work? play? relax? eat?

By: B.L. Ochman

B.L. Ochman — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 00:22:23 +0000

ok, i re-wrote my autoresponder:
Subject line: I’m checking email much less often.
Dear colleagues & friends:
I am checking email only a couple of times a day because I am overwhelmed by the more than 700 emails I have been getting daily for the last several months. I simply cannot believe they are all necessary.
So, if something is pressing, please call me, or IM me.
If you send email, please understand that I may be back to you in hours rather than minutes.
Thank you!
B.L.

By: B.L. Ochman

B.L. Ochman — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 00:11:43 +0000

I hope you don’t think this is the first mention i made of this to clients and friends. it’s the 100th. the first 99 were very polite and positive. they also didn’t work.
it’s not email that is the problem, it is the way some people use it. i have clients where i deal with three or four people in a company and sometimes each of them will send me 25 emails in a day.
i’m one person. i can’t answer 100 unnecessary emails from one client.
it’s just too damn easy to press send. people need to think first.
most often what’s needed instead of 25 emails is a phone call or instant messaging.
i got so much more done this week with less email bouncing around than i have in recent months. and i think it will only get better.
i respond to many emails now by saying “i’ll call you” or “call me to discuss” but I don’t put my answer in email.
that’s not chaos jeff, that’s the path to organization.

By: Jeff

Jeff — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 00:02:25 +0000

“because I am totally overwhelmed with unnecessary emails.”
At the risk of being rude myself by critiquing without being asked to, this is the phrase that made me squirm a bit. Sort of sounds like things are in complete chaos behind the scenes. If I were a potential client and saw this, it would make me hesitate. Maybe a more positive slant alluding to the fact that you prefer to do business by phone or in person but you do check emails periodically. Just a thought. Have a good weekend.