A White Elephant Called “e-Mail”

I’m still digging through my Office Dynamics archives and found this great topic I want to share with you. It is in regards to an article I had read a while back called: E-mail Overload Costs Companies Billions in Lost Productivity. I am very passionate about this topic and have been speaking to assistants and their executives on this subject for the past several years. The need to deal with the white elephant is more important than ever. The average number of e-mails and assistant manages between her/his e-mail and their executive’s email is 225 per day; and about 350 on the high side! And each e-mail takes 1 – 4 steps or more. Your entire day can be trampled by e-mail.

This topic is at the core of my being from many perspectives: as a business owner, a vendor to clients, a client to vendors, and someone who loves and hates e-mail.  E-mail has grown into a ginormous, white elephant and we are being stampeded by it. The good news is that every one of us can reduce the number of e-mails we send.

While technology has dramatically changed our lives and provides many benefits, it also presents challenges. I am going to address both—opportunities and dangers.  I highly encourage you to do your own research on this subject.  If you are to maintain your star edge, you must motivate yourself to do your homework. [Read more…]