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Get Your Gatekeepers Up

27 08 07 - 14:38 - Bookmark this post

Do you have a secretary? Not I but maybe you do. Even so, having your electronic gatekeepers on guard helps cut down on interruptions.

Earlier today I sent a message to a friend and received this "Out of Office" reply:

Thank you for your email.  I will be responding to emails between 11:00 & 1:00 and after 3:00 pm.

A thing of beauty! This helps take email management to a new level. Most people know that responding to emails in blocks of time is more efficient be few do it. What this reply does so well is that it sets reasonable expectations of when you will respond.

Another idea you may want to try is setting your phone so that all calls role to voice mail. This works really well for me.

So get your gatekeepers up and get more rest!

See also:

• Email - Stop the Insanity - Part 1

• Email - Stop the Insanity - Part 2

• Email - Stop the Insanity - Part 3

so what happens when my auto-responder then sends a message back to his auto-responder with my email checking times – won’t his just send on back again? Could get confusing or am I missing something?
rob - 28 08 07 - 21:02

@rob: A good autoresponder only sends a message once, exactly to prevent the problem you describe.
Jeroen Sangers - 30 08 07 - 17:36

Craig, interesting view. But how do you work around those emails which need your immediate attention like a change of scope in a project you are working on or on a lighter side, someone wants to have some coffee with you in 30 minutes to talk through some upcoming actions? I like the idea but I don’t think you should use it very rigid. Flexibility is always key I think
Frank Meeuwsen - 14 09 07 - 12:32