Time Management11 Tips for Taming Technology  

Trainer’s Note: Feel free to reproduce and distribute this article to managers and employees.

Control Technology Before It Controls You

Do you ever feel like you need more hours in your work week to truly accomplish all you’d like? Do you ever feel like the things that are supposed to be helping you work smarter and more efficiently - e-mail, VM, your cell phone, your PDA - are the very same things that take up so much of your time? If so, you’re not alone.

According to Business Week online, one in four executives consider their voice mail, e-mail, and time they spend in meetings unmanageable. A McKinsey survey of 7,800 managers around the world, cited in the same article, found that 40 percent of managers say they spend a half- to a full-day each week - that’s almost 20 percent of their work week - on communications that aren’t valuable. If we conservatively say that managers receive at least as many valuable communications, then nearly half of the managers surveyed spend up to two days a week (at a minimum) dealing with e-mail and voice mail.

E-mail, voice mail, PDAs, and cell phones are supposed to make work life easier and they do. We are no longer slaves to our desktop computers and office telephones. But, here’s the interesting part, if you don’t manage these technological timesaving wonders, they may take over your days, as quickly as weeds choke out healthy grass.

The Problem

I appreciate the way technology enables me to work more efficiently and I’m sure you do too. I remember when I had to go to the FedEx office to overnight a draft to my employer. Now, I just attach it to an e-mail and it’s there in minutes. I love the way I can work out of my home office and connect with my colleagues in another time zone through voice mail, the phone, or e-mail. There’s no question these technologies make my job easier and for that I am grateful.

The problem is when you allow them to take over. And if you’re like me, it may be tough to admit it’s a problem. I multi-task well and I manage my email, voice mail, and phone use just fine. Thankyouverymuch.

That is, until I hear the beep that tells me I just received an e-mail. Hmm. I wonder who sent me a message. And, when the phone rings. I should let it go to voice mail and keep writing. On second thought, I’m at a good stopping point. Let me grab it. Or, if I let the call go to voice mail and the message light blinks and blinks and blinks and blinks. Okay. Okay. I’ll check messages!

According to a study conducted in England last year, the constant interruptions of e-mail and phone calls hurts more than just productivity.

A British study of 1,100 workers showed that employees distracted by phone calls and e-mail suffer a loss of IQ. According to the clinical trials, which monitored the workers’ IQ throughout the workday, employees who juggled their regular work and their influx of messages experienced a loss of 10 IQ points, the equivalent of missing a whole night’s sleep. Men in the tests experienced an even higher drop in IQ.

The study results didn’t surprise me. It’s common sense that multitasking divides one’s focus. Have you ever talked with someone on the phone who is also banging away on the keyboard? Or, seen a driver chatting on a cell phone, oblivious to the traffic demands? It also makes sense that the drop in IQ is temporary. As soon as the employee stops juggling, focus returns and so does IQ.

But, what did surprise me was the amount of time workers spend juggling their inbox, voice mail box, and regular work, thereby performing below their potential because of their obsession with unchecked messages. A Clear Context 2006 Email Usage Survey, across industries, reports that 40% of respondents say they check e-mail constantly. That means almost half of the employees surveyed are working regularly as if they didn’t sleep the night before.

Consider these statistics:

• 25% of respondents say they check e-mail a few times each hour
• 40% say they check e-mail constantly
• 42% say they also use a mobile device to check e-mail
• 59% say they agree or strongly agree that they spend too much time keeping up with their e-mail
• 25% of respondents say they receive between 100 and 250 e-mails a day (7% receive up to 500 per day)

A Solution

There is a solution. The answer lies in managing your day, managing the technology - and managing yourself. So, check out the tips below, free up some time in your day, and achieve your potential this year. You have nothing to lose and a lot to gain. Your IQ for starters…

Tip #1: Schedule time for handling communications.

• Think in terms of blocks of time, like you would a meeting or an appointment.

Tip #2: Schedule logically - according to the flow of your day.

• If you have a traditional workday, block out time first thing in the morning, after lunch, and again before you leave.
• If you rarely receive e-mail or VM messages after hours, then your morning check-in can be short. If the end of your workday is unpredictable, build in a longer block of time first thing in the morning.
• Schedule more time on Monday mornings and more time following your days off.
• Overschedule after time off. If you have extra time, use it to get a jump on your day. Plan for the rest of the week. Strategize. Connect with your team.

Tip #3: Handle e-mail before voice mail.

• Your caller may refer to e-mail content.
• You’ll be well informed before talking person-to-person.

Tip #4: Sort your e-mails by subject line.

• Grouping by subject allows you to follow the thread of an e-mail that involves others.
• Respond only after reading the entire thread.

Tip #5: Prioritize your e-mails and handle each one only once.

• After grouping, glance at the subject lines and answer the most important first.
• Read the entire e-mail before responding to avoid missing the most critical question which may be buried
• Just like paper, read and handle. If you choose to read it and then respond at a later time, you’re going to wind up reading or skimming it again. Not an efficient use of time. After you read and respond, delete or move to a folder.

Tip #6: Turn the e-mail alert beep or pop-up off.

• If you will be consumed by the knowledge that e-mail just pinged your inbox, let ignorance enable you to focus on your other work.
• Don’t peek. Even with the alert audio off, you need to manage your own impulses.

Tip #7: Use the subject line to explain what you need.

• At a glance readers should know the expectation of the e-mail.
• When possible, specify action required. For example instead of writing, “project estimates,” write, “project estimates, need decision today.” When an action is stated in the subject line, people tend to address the action required in the first sentence or two of their response.

Tip #8: Move the phone behind you.

• Keep the phone within arm’s reach but move it so you don’t see the flashing message light every working moment.
• Again, manage your own impulses. If you’re in the middle of other work, let the call go to voice mail and resist the desire to give in to that blinking light and check for messages.

Tip #9: Use caller ID to prioritize.

• No, this isn’t about determining the importance of the caller in your life. It’s about determining the importance of the call topic.
• Anticipate the call’s subject and assess its importance compared to the regular work you’re focusing on. Then decide to take the call or let it go to voice mail.

Tip #10: Use your desk phone and cell phone wisely.

• Don’t give colleagues, customers or vendors your cell phone number (unless you have a mobile office and your cell phone is your office phone). Other than family or friends who need to get a hold of you, everyone else should call your office number. Then, you have only one phone to check for messages and you avoid a message on both phones from the same person.
• Use your cell phone for outgoing calls when you’re away from your desk. Maximize your time by returning calls or initiating calls when you have down time away from your desk - waiting for an appointment, etc.
• Let your cell phone roll to voice mail if you’re at a work function. The business in front of you should take precedence over the business on the cell phone. Focus on the people you are sharing lunch with and your business connection will be stronger. Your other business can wait an hour or two.

Tip #11: Relax .

• If you work a traditional workweek, nothing is going to happen between 7 pm Friday and 7 am Monday. Let your e-mail and VM messages wait until your scheduled time Monday morning.
• If you can’t wait until Monday, schedule one time on the weekend to check and handle messages. Otherwise you’ll be checking every day (or worse, multiple times in a day) and you’ll be on your way to working 24/7, doing a disservice to yourself and those around you.
• Stick to your schedule. Doing so, will free up time in your workday and take pressure off on the weekends. If you don’t stick to your schedule then it’s a waste of time making one.

So, give these tips a try to better manage your communications and free up some time in your week. Although you probably won’t free up hours, you’ll free up enough time to connect with each of your employees. Use the Take 10 Check-in to find out what’s going on outside your workspace. Spend 10 minutes with a team member and ask: how do you think the team is doing; how can things be improved; and how are you doing.

Michele Eby works for Media Partners as a writer and training advisor. She has worked in the training and development field for more than 15 years. Media Partners’ management training program, “The Practical Coach,” and surveys on communications and e-mail were the sources for this article.

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