Please, Just Answer the Email

My head may spin off my neck and roll on the floor. I write clearly. I write clear emails. All questions come at the end of the email. So why do people to whom I send clear emails with questions at the end not answer the question? I would not mind if I were told, “I don’t know.” But that doesn’t happen. This does:

This is your brain on emails.

A friend decides to sell his books. He puts them on Bookmooch. This is a kind act. I follow the link, I mooch a book, a pop-up tells me I have to join bookmooch, followed by more pop-ups of confirmation, redirection and finally, a pop-up that tells me I don’t have enough points. No explanation. I write friend, summarize above, ask how to mooch a certain book. Do I get an answer that tells me how to get a book on the list? Nope. The return email says, “Bookmooch is great. You should get rid of your extras there, too.” Well, I won’t have any extras if I can’t get them. And now, of course, I have an account with a place I don’t want an account with.

Move on. I’m supposed to be interviewed on a radio show. I want to know three things: what date, what time, what place? (We’d agreed on the topic already.) My email said, “Please confirm date, time and location for interview.” Eight words. It took five email exchanges to get all the information.

Today I get an email about the interview that is so garbled I think it’s written by a cat chasing a bug across the keyboard. It is punctuated with random strings of dots and  hyphens,  and either someone will be sitting on my lap during the interview, or two people are booked at the same time. It’s not clear. Oh, and the topic has been changed to art therapy (I’m not an art therapist) And I’m supposed to “bring cards for their groups.” I have no idea to what or whom “their” refers to. Or the cards, which may or may not be business cards.

If this happened once or twice a year, I wouldn’t mind. But this happens frequently. Four or more times a week. It proves that multi-tasking doesn’t work nearly as well as you think it does. If you are driving, please don’t email me. If you are on the phone, please don’t email me. Please, by the sun god Ra, read the email I sent you, think it through, then answer the question I asked. Otherwise, I’ll send you a Tweetpix of my head rolling on the floor after it has popped off.

–Quinn McDonald is banging her head on her desk, thinking of the time she wastes sending  emails only to have to follow up with a phone call, just to get an answer.

Working Your To-Do List

It’s always the same. When people want you to do one more thing, generally something that is more important to them than you, they suggest you do it right before you go to bed. I now start going to bed at 5 p.m. just so I can get all those last-minute things done by midnight.

A few of my coaching clients tell me that they hate writing to-do lists. The reason, they say, is that it is a roll-call of failure. Items that don’t get done reproach them daily for being lazy. Being lazy is not a bad thing. Often lazy people are very bright, and they develop smart shortcuts that help them accomplish things quickly, efficiently and with accuracy, giving them time to do what they choose.

How can you make “lazy” work for you? Take a look at that to-do list. It’s probably filled with big, clunky projects that you don’t want to do. Maybe a few small things that you can do quickly. So you do those. If you are like most people (including me), you’ll put a few things on that list that you have already done, or do automatically (like brushing your teeth), just so you can get something checked off.

Here’s a better way to manage the lists:

1. Write down those things you need to get done. Big, small, write them all down. That will not only keep you from forgetting, but also take a weight off your mind. That alone makes a list worthwhile. I like index cards for this, so I can keep the list in front of me, but you can use whatever makes you feel comfortable. It is easier to use a piece of paper you don’t have to re-write constantly–a page you can move in your notebook.

2. Create the list at the end of the workday. It preps you for the next day, and is a good way to wind up your time in the office. You’ll set priorities while they are fresh in your mind.

3. Circle three things that have to get done. Just three. The things that make the most impact, have the highest priority, clear the widest swath of time in your day.

4. Take another 3 index cards. Writing just on the front, put one item on each card and jot down the steps needed for each. People you have to call, meetings to set, research to be done, things to look up. Some lists will have one item on them, for example, “Call  Jason Pierce for article interview.” Others will have several steps. That’s it. Walk away from your office.

5. The next morning, once you arrive at work, pick up one of the three index cards and get to work. Don’t check your emails first. Checking emails is a sabotage of getting work done. Don’t take phone calls until you get the items on the first index cards done. If one of the items is to do an interview, pick up the phone and get it done. If you haven’t made an appointment, get that part done.

6. Once you have accomplished the steps on the first index card, you can look at your emails or pick up your voice mails.  Don’t get sucked into your emails. Answer the most important ones, but if there is a task to do, it goes on your to-do list. Most people waste an enormous amount of time reading and answering emails in the order they receive them instead of in the order of importance.

7. Tackle the second index card before lunch and the last one by mid afternoon. Getting three items accomplished well and completely is not as common as you might think. You’ll have to fight off interruptions, the drifters who come in to waste your time, and the drama people who like to create emergencies so they can be heroes and solve them.  Tell them you are busy right now. It’s true, and it works.

At the end of the work day, repeat the to-do list process. You’ll find your to-do list shrinking and your email list manageable. Many emails are simply people commenting on your emails because they feel they have to.

Once you get into the habit of doing three important things each day, and doing them well, you will find yourself less stressed, less crazy, and more productive.

–Quinn McDonald is a certified creativity coach who develops and teaches business communication courses. You can see her work at QuinnCreative.com (c) 2008 All rights reserved.  Image: Einstein’s to-do list: http://www.curiostudio.com