Outlook

Tips on managing someone else's inbox

Keep on top of the boss’s or someone else’s inbox with these proven tips from the trenches: 1.  Avoid duplicating work to the extent that you can. 2. Scan for timely actions. 3. Customize any system you adopt.

Set a date with your to-dos

How do you make sure a task gets done? Peter Bregman, author of 18 Minutes, believes we ought to make appointments with ourselves in order to accomplish things. “We should all be working off our calendars, not our task lists,” says Bregman.

Writing email that gets read

Boost the odds that people will read your emails. Five guidelines: 1.  Limit your message to five sentences. 2.  Figure out your main point. 3.  Edit. 4.  Ask one thing at a time, or maybe two. 5.  Include a link to information available online.

4 tips on writing to-the-point emails

1. Include your phone number and mailing address in your signature. 2. Provide “if-then” options. 3. Always start with a greeting. 4. Check Snopes.com before you waste time forwarding a chain letter.

Email faux pas can do serious damage to your career

Maria had been emailing back and forth with a colleague all day about a work issue, when she finally decided to cc the boss. It felt like the right thing to do. But that’s not how it turned out. In­­stead, it came back to bite her. How to avoid cc’ing up and other email faux pas:

3 ways to handle urgent emails

Next time you get an email request with an urgent flag, try one of these three tips:

10 rules to reverse the email spiral

Chris Anderson, who runs the high-profile TED conference, believes we need to focus on limiting the flow of email, rather than focusing on how to organize and file all those messages. Anderson penned 10 ideas that could make a dent in email quantity:

Write a killer e-mail newsletter: 8 tips

E-mail newsletters remain one of the most effective ways to build relationships with customers. For proof, look no further than the recent popularity of Groupon. If you’re asked to develop an e-mail newsletter, keep in mind these tips:

5 simple ways to tune your inbox

Administrative professional Debbie is in search of the magic bullet that will make it easier to archive e-mail—and later find what she needs. While e-mail is a source of productivity, it can also become an out-of-­control monster. Tune up your inbox with these tips:

Making an e-mail introduction? 3 rules

When you help someone by connecting them via an e-mail introduction, follow these three basic rules: 1. Be clear and up front about your motive. 2. Don’t copy all parties unless you are 100% positive the recipient will be open to the introduction. 3. Give the recipient an “out.”

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