Batch Your Tasks
When you complete a BATCHING YOUR tasks simply mean doing similar things at the same time. There’s a “learning curve” in everything you do series of similar or identical tasks all in a row, the learning curve allows you to reduce the time required to complete each task by as much as 80 pers-cent by the time you complete the fifth identical task.
For example, in writing letters and correspondence or answering e-mails, you bundle them all together and do them at the same time. You batch your telephone calls and return them all in a row. If you have to interview several people, interview them consecutively, one after another. Do all your similar tasks at the same time rather than doing a little bit now and a little bit later.
Use E-Mail as a Servant
How you deal with your e-mail is going to have a major impact on your career. Some people are slaves to their e-mail. They have a bell that goes off each time a new e-mail comes in, and whatever they are doing, they turn immediately to their inbox to check on the message. In effect, they “switch tasks” and then return to what it was they were doing, immediately losing momentum, clarity, and output in their most important tasks.
Tim Ferris, in his bestselling book The 4-Hour Workweek, explains how he went from being a slave to his e-mail twelve to fourteen hours a day to mastering the process completely. First, he decided to only answer his e-mail twice a day, at eleven o’clock in the morning and four in the afternoon. Then he went from twice a day to once a day, to once a week. Even when answering e-mails once a week, his efficiency, effectiveness, productivity, and income increased. Julie Morgenstern, the time management expert, wrote a book called Never Check E-Mail in the Morning. This title and the very idea come as a shock to most people.
They Can Wait
Some of the most productive people I know have an auto- matic response on their e-mail. It reads something like this: “I only answer my e-mail twice a day because of my busy schedule. If you have sent me an e-mail, I will get back to you as soon as I possibly can. If this is an emergency, call this number and speak to this person.”
A busy journalist told the story of going to Europe for two weeks. His e-mail was inaccessible for the entire time. When he returned, he had more than 700 messages waiting for him. He knew that it would take him many hours, even sev- eral days, to go through 700 e-mails. So he took a deep breath and pressed “delete all.”
His attitude was simple. He said, “I refuse to be the slave of any person who sends me an e-mail, expecting me to reply immediately. Besides, if any of these e-mails were important, whoever sent the e-mail will send it again.” And he was right; 90 percent of the e-mails that he deleted were never repeated, and the ones that he deleted that were important ones were resent within a few days.
Make a decision not to allow your e-mail to control your life, like the tail wagging the dog. Instead, discipline yourself to use e-mail as a business tool. Make your responses quick and to the point. Check your e-mail only twice a day, or less frequently. Even better, leave your e-mail off on the week- ends and spend more time with your family and friends or engaged in personal activities. The good news is that you will probably never miss an important message. There are very few things that happen that cannot wait another day or two, especially in business.
