E-Mail Cautions
Here are some examples of counsel and caution based on
The E-Mail Diet Book:
- Don’t feel that you must immediately read every single e-mail you receive. Many business and educational networks inform you the moment you receive an e-mail message. The same may be true for your home if you have a cable, DSL, or fiber-optic connection. It’s tempting but generally unwise to go into your e-mail as soon as you receive such a notification. . . . Ask yourself: Is reading and responding to e-mail the most important thing that I have to do today? The answer is generally “No.” Choose set times during the day when you will deal with e-mail and process many items at a single time.
- Remember that there is a danger in getting rid of all spam and in trying to be too slick with filtering programs. Set up filters to eliminate obvious spam, but don’t keep resetting to filter out everything you don’t want – or you’ll end up filtering out occasional e-mail from your boss, your stock broker, or your loved one! The E-Mail Diet Book includes strategies for quickly and efficiently handling incoming e-mail whether you use filters or not.
- E-mail is great for convenient, quick exchange of information, for setting up meetings, for keeping people aware of the status of a project, and for many other purposes. If you really want to build a relationship with another person, however, e-mail is a poor substitute for having lunch together. Chocolate tastes much better than e-mail.
- Never respond to an e-mail when you are angry or upset. A good dieting book reminds you of the danger of eating when you are angry or depressed or emotionally upset – people who do so inevitably eat too much. The same is true for e-mail – people who do so inevitably say too much or may be misunderstood. . . . Like an angry printed letter, an angry electronic letter can continue to hang around for months or years and may be used against you in unlikely situations.