Sounds like another person in need of smarter inbox management. Coming back to 5,000 emails? Maybe he needs to unsubscribe from some mailing lists, and set up filters for project-related group discussions.
PragDave: Followup on the EMail Experiment
21–28 of 28 posts
Re: PragDave: Followup on the EMail Experiment
#22This is one of those things that's a novel idea when one person does it (particularly when that person still has a support staff available to field emails), but would be incredibly obnoxious if it were a common practice.
I disagree. It would be much nicer if everyone understood that, while on vacation, you should only send the most important messages so the messages don't pile up and actually have a chance to get the attention they deserve.
Saying "I'm on vacation, try to deal with things on your own as much as possible and only send me the most important stuff." isn't obnoxious at all.
Re: PragDave: Followup on the EMail Experiment
#23One problem may be that if someone sends you an e-mail and gets the responder, they may decide "Oh well I don't want them to worry about it then", except the e-mail was already sent.
Maybe auto responders should ask the senders to re-send the e-mail if they still need to send it?
Re: PragDave: Followup on the EMail Experiment
#24Personally, I'm a bit freaked out about the negative reaction some people have to this. Everyone should be allowed some time off and that includes email. If you aren't ignoring work, then it isn't a real vacation. That said, I would encourage a slightly different tone with an autoresponse email. Saying you will not even attempt to read the email is over the line in my book. Yes, skimming 5,000 emails will take time,…
What you're describing is fine. It doesn't require me to write emails twice (one that goes to /dev/null and gets instructions, then the re-email with the special don't-delete-me-bro code that makes it go through).
Just keep my first email and have your auto responder let me know that you're not reading email until .
Re: PragDave: Followup on the EMail Experiment
#25Personally, I'm a bit freaked out about the negative reaction some people have to this. Everyone should be allowed some time off and that includes email. If you aren't ignoring work, then it isn't a real vacation. That said, I would encourage a slightly different tone with an autoresponse email. Saying you will not even attempt to read the email is over the line in my book. Yes, skimming 5,000 emails will take time,…
What you're describing is fine. It doesn't require me to write emails twice (one that goes to /dev/null and gets instructions, then the re-email with the special don't-delete-me-bro code that makes it go through). Just keep my first email and have your auto responder let me know that you're not reading email until .
Would you actually write the email twice? Your sent folder should let you trivially re-send it with the "urgent" flag if you care.
"Keep the email" is fine if almost all of them will need attention in two weeks. What percentage of email he receives will be important enough in two weeks to demand part of his attention during those overloaded first day(s) back?
I think the affirmative filter is a great idea - "I won't be able to help with this for two weeks, and then I'm going to be really busy for a few days. Please confirm that this is something that will need my time in two weeks."
Re: PragDave: Followup on the EMail Experiment
#26> And those rapid responses would in turn trigger another round of email, and another.
This reminds me of an effect of specials at a supermarket: it's not just that people will buy more, to stock up; nor that it becomes affordable to more people (price elasticity); nor that new people will try it - but that if you have more, you will use more. Like more roads create more traffic.
This is partly personal price elasticity, in that when something is cheaper, you can start using it in more ways - as a substitute for more expensive (or, if you have previously found substitutes for it, because it was too expensive; now you can stop substituting). But this is a change in behaviour which persists into the future (familiarity/habit), bumping up your consumption a notch.
A quick email response is like a special at a supermarket. It's so cheap, you use more. Not responding is like a price increase - sales drop off.
Re: PragDave: Followup on the EMail Experiment
#27Earlier quoted context omitted.
Assuming you have more than five clients, I just don't buy this. Maybe some would but not 100%. Also your inbox count wouldn't be zero unless you have a very unique inbox.
Yes, the 'Zero' is a bit hyperbolic. At a bare minimum I'd of course still have Russian-Brides and Nigerian Prince's to keep me company...
Forward the Russian-Bride emails to the Nigerian Princes and you're done.
Re: PragDave: Followup on the EMail Experiment
#28I hate to be cynical but it seems like doing this is just saying, "I am more important than the people who send me email, so I will place the burden of tracking my schedule on them." The other interpretation of this is that his email inbox is generally full of useless dreck that does not matter all that much to either him or the sender. Perhaps the success of this experiment says more about the kind of email he recei…
In my experience, having an e-mail hit your inbox doesn't necessarily mean that you're the most important recipient. At work I may be on the CC list for a number of ongoing e-mail threads - usually they don't require any input from me, but I might have to read through them to determine whether this is the case. These types of e-mails will fill up your inbox, but don't quite sink to the level of "useless dreck," but s…
I think you kind of missed my point, for example if you are on the cc list for a series of emails that you are not directly involved in this strategy assumes that instead of you taking responsibility for catching up on this interaction when you return one or more people that are a part of this interaction need to take on that responsibility for you. This is effectively making them serve you in order to have your attention after you return from vacation.
That strikes me as casting yourself as more important than everyone else (not with respect to the interaction but as a person and/or employee).