How to 5S Email



EmailThis document is intended to provide instruction to all computer users on how to organize their email inbox. Good organization of a user’s inbox can save significant cost and reduce stress.Step 1: SortToo many unused emails crowding your inbox cause information clutter and make searching for useful and needed information costly and time-consuming. Therefore, sort through and sort out:Start by developing a personal folder system for your email. This will mimic the “tagging” system commonly used in 5S. Here are three types of folders to considerFolders of follow up, action sort. These are sorting bins that allow you to keep your main inbox clean. These are folders where the emails are works in progress.Follow-Up – emails you need to follow-up onAction – emails that require an action from you that you cannot do at this timeSort – emails you need to sort, but you are not sure where they need to go yetFolder for dated archives. This is a catch-all system for retaining emailsEmails you’d like to retain but aren’t actively working with can go into dated archive foldersFolders can be deleted after a certain point (see your government’s document retention standards)Folders that are topic oriented. These are the emails you want to keep and may use more actively. You can sort by whatever topics make sense for your work, but do not make it over complicated.Consider for deletion e-mails that are 2 months old or more. ?Step 2: Set In OrderOrganize your inbox to reduce clutter and allow for instant access. Having a standard set of rules for dealing with emails could be helpful. Below is an example of a flow chart for how to handle email. The four potential outcomes for an email in your inbox are:Delete it. If the item is not relevant or significant to your job delete it right away to avoid clutter (which creates confusion and may obscure the important stuff)Delegate it. If there is someone more appropriate to respond to the email, forward it along immediately in order to maintain flow. In some cases, it may be fine to just delete the email and move on after delegating it. In other cases, you may wish to create a method to track what has been delegated that allows you to follow up on delegated items later. A very simple method is a “delegated” folder in your inbox that you review occasionally. A more sophisticated method might involve placing reminder notices at appropriate points on your calendar or a “personal Kanban” (personal Kanban adapts the well-known Lean Kanban visual management tool to personal productivity – visit for more information)Do it. If the message concerns something you can complete in two minutes or less you should do it right away. This maintains flow, removes clutter and potential future distraction from your inbox, and creates good email Karma! Designate it. If the message will take more than two minutes to respond to designate time in the future to do it based on the priority of the message and when it will best fit into your work flow. Consider using your calendar, a document filing system based on frequency-of-use, and/or a personal Kanban to organize your work. The action required of you from the email should then be transferred to your personal work organization system and deleted from your inbox. Your personal work organization system then dictates when the action required of you will be completed and contains the necessary information to complete it. For example, your calendar would tell you when you’d work on it and your filing system would contain any content from the email you need to complete the task.Step 3: ShineTake these steps to optimize your productivity on email and minimize wasted time Unsubscribe from emails lists you don’t use or want.Tune whitelists, blacklists, or other user-maintained aspect of the spam filtersDevelop and write automated email filters / rules to route incoming messages to proper folders without user intervention.Archive sent items. This is what you said in email so you probably want to retain this.Clean out you date archives to remove older filesDo not ask for receipts for emails you have sent, unless it is vital Consider using color coding for emails sent only to you. Your email program can color code these messages thereby drawing your attention to important items (i.e., messages from your boss). Consider turning off notifications of new emails (i.e., sounds, screen pop-ups). Uninterrupted time on task is vital to productivity. Email notifications are a distraction. If very rapid response is required in the office for an issue consider instant messaging (or a phone call!) as an alternative. If you can deal with an email in 2-5 minutes, do it then rather than filing it.Use the preview pane to spot messages that can be deleted immediately - like notes that just say “thank you”Step 4: StandardizeDevelop good email etiquette in order to maintain efficiency among the whole office.Don’t use the priority flag unless it is necessary. It is like the boy who cried wolf. Only use Reply All and CC: when needed. Don’t clutter up someone else’s email if they do not really need to see it.Use your out-of-office message to inform people of your status. If messages require action from someone else, forward immediately.Don’t use the inbox as a storage file.Develop simple rules for addressing e-mails (i.e., rules for TO; CC; and Subject lines). Examples include:TO:?Only people whom the sender of the e-mail believes must take action on this item are put on the "TO" : People whom the sender thinks might benefit from knowing the information, but who are not required to act on the information, are on the "CC" line.Subject:? "URGENT:” ?and a one-line summary of the action requested go on items which are time-sensitive (i.e., on the critical path for an important task) A one-line summary of the action requested is the subject line for items which are not time-sensitive (i.e., can be done within two business days)Tip: Create a document retention guide that is unique at your workplace. Set recommendations for keeping/deleting e-mails.Step 5: SustainAllocate 5 minutes a week to run through the 5S’s on your inbox. A specific time should be allocated in your calendar to keep your inbox working environment in tip-top shape.Set a time in your calendar to repeat the 5S Email tasksConsider doing occasional 5S audits of office, where everyone participates in a check to ensure 5S standards are adhered to.Remember, 5 minutes can save the effort you spend to search through unnecessary clutter! Studies show that you can use your computer twice as efficiently if you organize it well!Tip: If you have trouble keeping your inbox (mostly) empty, your system may need tuning. SourcesSources: Bhavnani, Suresh, and Bonnie John. "The Strategic Use of Complex Computer Systems." Human-Computer Interaction 15.2 (2000): 107-37.IT Managers Inbox ()Lean Consultant, Graham Ross ()Self-check sheet5S Email AuditAuditor(s):5 or more problems, enter 03 or 4 problems, enter 12 problems, enter 21 problem, enter 30 problems, enter 4CategoryActivityDate:Date:Date:Sort1. A folder system has been created2. the main inbox is empty (or almost)3. Old emails have been archived or deletedSet-In-Order1. Emails moved to Follow-Up, Action or Sort folders2. Emails moved to Date Oriented Folder3. Emails moved to Topic FolderShine1. You have removed yourself from email lists you don’t use.2. You have tuned user-maintained aspect of the spam filter3. You have developed automated routing for common types of emails4. Archived files are removed as needed5. Email notifications are disabledStandardize1. No overuse of priority flag2. No overuse of CC3. Informative subject lines in use4. Inbox not used as a storage fileSustain1.Individuals take the time to check that they are staying with 5S2. Participatory office-wide audits are conducted3. Improvements are made from the last auditOverall ................
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