We should be continually mindful of the manner in which we make an impact on the time of others.
For example,
We should endeavour to arrive at meetings on time or ideally a few minutes early.
And when we arrive,
It's a good idea to check how much time other attendees have available and what would be the best ever outcome to get from the meeting.
And when we send out each email,
We inevitably take up someone else's time when they open it.
So we should ensure that only those who really need to read it are in the CC field and BCC field.
We should also use the minimum number of words to get our message across.
Anything over 250 words is better sent as an attachment.
And just think about this,
If an email takes one minute for us to write and we send it to 9 people,
That email has consumed 10 minutes of available time for other people on the planet.
And if those 9 people all respond to the 9 others,
This consumes 100 minutes of time,
And so on.
You can see easily why people have become so time poor,
Especially in large corporations.
More subtly,
We should be aware of our feelings and our mood when we send an email.
As the mood we're in when we type anything gets picked up unconsciously by the heart and the gut mind of the recipient.
Unintentionally,
We can instigate a bad feeling in someone else that results in them having a worse day and wasting time.
So breathe in,
And breathe down.
So when sending each email,
Pause for a moment.
Make sure there is only one person in the To field,
So that only one response is elicited.
Think about those who need to be in the CC field.
If you're just distributing information,
Then let people know that no response is necessary.
But the best way by far to save time when it comes to email is to send less emails,
And to read and reply to them less often.
Our addiction to email is cultural,
And in many cases is mistakenly seen as essential.
So switch your smartphone or tablet off in the evenings and at weekends,
And give yourself and others a much needed break.
You will soon find something more useful to do with the time you save.
