One of the biggest time wasters is email. Many of us start the day or end the day with checking our email. However, I am willing to bet that no one comes to the office and their top goal is to "check my email." Here is the method to tame the beast:
Turn off email notices - the notices destroy focus.
Set specific times to check email - i.e. 10:00, 12:00, 2:00 and 4:00 - I am sorry, there are only a few jobs in the world that truly need to check more often. Guess what? Yours isn't one of them.
Prohibit negative email conversations - if there is a disagreement require people to talk by phone or in person. This will avoid or limit misunderstandings.
Set firm rules for cc: individuals - I am sorry (again). What you think is important and that everyone needs to know is only partially correct. Take the total number of people that your regularly cc: and reduce that by 75%.
Cheers! You now have 15 more minutes to invest in really important things like internet shopping or ESPN!
Copyright 2010 - Jim Lindell