Why you should leave that e-mail box alone

Thanks to the new roaming directives, within the EU you can rely on the national volumes of your rate plan. In other words: if you call from anywhere in the EU, you pay just as much as in Belgium. So nothing is holding you back any more from surfing and e-mailing to your heart´s content within the EU.

E-mail is especially popular in a business context. Some people check their smartphone dozens of times a day to see whether a new e-mail has come in, along with notifications via social media or other apps. But the point isn’t to allow incoming e-mails to determine your working day, even during a business trip.

Avoid multitasking

Les spécialistes en time management, comme Time Management Company, soulignent l’importance de travailler à un rythme régulier. Ne réduisez pas votre journée de travail en de (trop) courtes périodes qui vous contraindront à travailler plus vite. Et planifiez des temps de lecture et de réponse à vos e-mails.
 

A few tips for taking a different approach:
 

1. E-mail in moderation.

Employees who send out a lot of e-mails are sure to get a lot more back. If the message you want to convey is complicated, extensive or diverse, it’s better to use the telephone or set up a meeting.
 

2. Be sparing with cc and co.

Only put someone in cc when it’s really necessary to keep that person in the loop. Also avoid “reply to all” as much as possible, so delete the recipients who don’t absolutely have to receive your e-mails.
 

3. Avoid notifications.

Turn off your mail program regularly and finish your tasks without being disturbed. If your notifications are still open, better switch them off. Or adjust the frequency: for example, not every five minutes, but every two or three hours instead.
 

4. Short and powerful.

Turn off your mail program regularly and finish your tasks without being disturbed. If your notifications are still open, better switch them off. Or adjust the frequency: for example, not every five minutes, but every two or three hours instead.
 

5. Not for urgent messages.

Never (or only rarely) respond to an e-mail immediately. Before you know it, your contact person will assume that he or she can also send you urgent messages via e-mail. But for urgent things, other channels - like the telephone -- are more appropriate.