HAVE you ever noticed how e-mails occupy so much of our time and how it goes back and forth with messages that seem to repeat every now and then? In an article in USA Today by Steven Petrow dated February 11, 2015, a survey from AtTask conducted by Harris Poll showing that US employees at large-sized companies spend 14 percent of their workweek on e-mail since 91 percent reported that they use e-mail to communicate with their coworkers. Another study by McKinsey shows that the typical office worker spends 25 percent of the day reading and replying to e-mails.
I think it is also true in the Philippines. A typical day in the office usually starts by opening one’s e-mail. In fact if one is not careful, one will end up spending the whole day just responding or sending e-mails. In that same article in USA Today it mentioned that there are smarter managers nowadays, who reduce the number of e-mails by copying less number of people if possible and creating acronyms, instead of typing long sentences.
In the generation of our parents, stenography was very popular as a form of shortcut to long-form handwriting. Nowadays, people are more fond of acronyms and one should be updated with these acronyms as to not get lost and to easily catch up. Although it is not as popular in our country as in the US, it is worth emulating, if it means saving a lot of time.
For instance, we are always repeating the message if we are calling for a meeting with phrases, such as “Please be informed of our meeting…” which usually takes up a paragraph just to give a reminder for a meeting. Instead, we can use the acronym in the subject “SIM (the subject is the message): meeting at 3 pm at the conference room. Please confirm.” This way the others can see instantly the gist of the message on the subject space itself.
In that article in USA Today, other acronyms in the workplace mentioned include “LDL (let’s discuss live)—enough of the back-and-forth e-mails or “let’s chat IRL (in real life)” or “F2F” (face to face) or “OTP” (on the phone) for this e-mail thread is too confusing”. A relative of “FYI” is “FYA” (for your action). If you don’t need a reply to your e-mail “NNTR” (no need to respond) is all you need to type. The acronyms are surely great time-savers. It is just a matter of getting into the habit and introducing others to it.
Some e-mails are unnecessary if meetings are being held at the start of day or anytime during the day. Even with the use of spam filters, it should still take time to unsubscribe to certain e-mails that keep coming in, so as to spare myself from having to delete these items later or these will flood my inbox.
E-mail was invented to save us a lot of time and money compared to snail mail, where we have to wait several days to receive and read messages. It is one of the best inventions of all time that improves communication and help boost business and even relationships. But if not used properly one will be besieged by hundreds of unread e-mails and reading and responding to these will take a lot of time and effort. There are a hundred and more ways to use e-mail efficiently that it will take another one whole article. The thing is, we learn from experience and we learn from research for these other ways and from the experience of other people.
Being smart in handling your e-mail is being smart in handling your business. So take time to make it an asset rather than a liability, whether in your business or personal life. It is all in your hands.
(Wilma Miranda is the chairman of the Media Affairs Committee of Finex, managing partner of inventor, Miranda & Associates, CPA and treasurer of KPS Outsourcing Inc., executive vice president—MICE Asia Inc. The opinions expressed herein are the views of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of these institutions.)