All e-mail messages are not to be treated equally

Years ago, receiving mail was an event America's forefathers joyfully anticipated. Of course, that mail arrived by horseback under much duress. Then the era of the U.S. Post Office dawned, and more efficient methods of transporting the mail by means of truck, train and airplane were used.

But in today's world, many Americans call that operation "snail mail" and increasingly use e-mail that almost instantly transfers information to anywhere in the world. It is another example of the pace of today's lifestyles that demands information or action now, not later.

Interestingly, most people still look forward to receiving "mail." In fact, recipients enjoy it so much they drop everything to open the newly arrived "packages."

But in the business world, this reaction is a mistake that costs time and effectiveness in a very demanding environment. It was bad enough when employees received physical bundles of mail once or twice a day. At least the interruption was temporary and they soon went back to the tasks at hand.

Unfortunately, the increased use of e-mail now means employees have a constant interrupter to pull them off course. As with cell phones, beepers and voice mail, they are continually at the beck and call of anyone who knows their numbers. The question is, who is in control? Increasingly, it is someone outside your office.

So what can be done to become less reactive to e-mail and to use it in a more effective manner? Below are a number of common dangers in the use of e-mail and possible solutions.

• Your system beeps or flashes when new mail arrives. Switch off visible and audible announcers of mail. Don't be interrupted. You should determine how often and when mail should be checked. Remain focused on the most important task or project at hand. You'll get more done faster and with higher quality.

• You stop often to check your "mailbox" and respond immediately. This is almost as bad as beeps and flashes. Set a routine time to deal with mail. By checking constantly, you are again allowing interruptions, but this time the interrupter is you.

• Every e-mail item deserves an e-mail response. Not so! Many times, an issue can be resolved quickly by phone or through a one-to-one meeting. It's amazing how people will call cross-country but type a message to someone three offices down the hall.

• Every mail item has the same importance. Again, not so. Just as people should prioritize planned activities for a day, they should prioritize e-mail. E-mail should be quickly reviewed to determine its urgency and importance and dealt with accordingly. Those who religiously prioritize a "to-do" list will start at the top of an e-mail list and handle each item in turn, regardless of its importance.

• E-mail is regularly printed to hard copy. Just what workers need: more paper on their desks. Notes and additions can be added directly to the e-mail and saved for later retrieval. Printing most of the e-mail removes at least one of the advantages of having it.

• E-mail is used for urgent issues. E-mail can be used for important issues and less time-sensitive issues but should never be used for urgent issues. To take this one step further, e-mail should never be used for sensitive or emotional issues. Concern, anger and feelings are extremely difficult to convey in writing. If feelings are involved, do it by phone, or better yet, face-to-face.

• Everyone needs to know. Not so! How many messages do you receive or send just to make sure everyone knows what's going on? The whole "cc" thing quickly gets out of hand. Be absolutely certain the recipients truly need the information. Otherwise, you waste incredible amounts of time reading information that really doesn't help anyone do a better job.

The dangers go on and on. The bottom line is very simple and easy to remember: Ensure all communication has a value-added purpose and that a clear outcome is defined. All else is clutter in an already cluttered world.

Hart is a principal in Summit Performance Inc. Write, fax or e-mail (strategies@businesschronicle.com) Hart c/o Atlanta Business Chronicle. Working Smart appears monthly.

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