Posted on 20 June 2011

Recently, I’ve been trying to manage my inbox better. And part of that has been helping other people manage their inboxes better. I do this by being more conscious of the emails that I send.
The biggest thing is, I try to let people know what the email is about without them having to open it. I do that by treating the subject line like a Tweet: short, and to the point. No “fwd: fwd: re: FYI: hi” for me. More like “I vote yes on having lunch at Sassafras.” More details may be in the body, but you get the point in the subject.
This is not my own original idea (see here and here), but it is one that I’m trying to spread. It makes things a lot easier, both in terms of getting information right away, and for reference purposes (how many times have you been stuck opening a whole bunch of “re:” emails trying to find the relevant subject). Email is a great tool, but only when used properly. This is one way to make sure it is.

Filed under: how to