The Perils of Email and Information Overload

In today's so-called information society, emails have become an ever-pervasive presence. Email is one of the largest sources of information flows globally, second only to the telephone. The International Data Corporation estimated there were 31 billion emails sent daily in 2002. This figure is expected to double by 2006. Globally, an average 667,585 terabytes of emails are sent per year. When you consider that one terabyte is equivalent to 1,000,000,000,000 bytes or 50,000 trees made into paper and printed, the amount of emails being exchanged is just phenomenal.

woman overwhelmed by the amount of emails in her in boxThe sheer volume of emails means many people are unable to devise simple and effective strategies to manage information flows.

A study conducted in 1996 by Reuters found information overload was a major cause of stress in the workplace. Two out of three respondents blamed information overload for affecting work relationships and loss of job satisfaction. With the number of emails sent annually set to reach 62 billion by 2006, emails will no doubt become an escalating source of information overload and workplace stress.

This newsletter will pass on the golden secrets on how to manage the formidable email monster. Many people spend two hours or more per day on email. Slashing this email reading time will enable you to better focus on core priorities, or simply spend less time working late at night and over the weekend.

Golden Secret #1: Don't Spend All Day Slaving Over Your Email

Man reading his emailsYour email should be a communication tool used to save you time and help you work more effectively and efficiently. It should not take over your working day. The following tips are designed to cut the time spent on the day-to-day management of email. You'll be surprised how much time is saved, just by making minimal changes.



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Golden Secret #2: Have a Lean Inbox and Archive, Regularly

Man reading his emailsA healthy inbox should contain no more than 10 to 20 messages. A large inbox is like having a desk piled with clutter. It makes it hard to focus on the most recent and most important events. In addition, scrolling through countless emails everyday while checking your inbox wastes time - you might even miss seeing an important message. The key to saving time is to ensure only the latest and most relevant emails are in your inbox.


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