Okay, I know I have a fairly good excuse at the moment, but this has been a challenge to me really since starting the business...I am absolutely horrible at keeping up with correspondence, emails and voicemails, and remembering dates and appointments that are not on my work calender! And now that I have a new baby on top of everything else, it is a bit out of control.
Here's my problem, and I'm sure many of you can relate, I receive an email, I read it, and plan to respond. I then find that I have to deal with the 10 other things that are on my immediate to-do list, put it off till later in the day, when I find that 1st message has slipped off my inbox screen due to the 30 emails I have received in the meantime, and then completely forget to go back and reply. I think of it in the middle of the night, or at dinner-time, and have pure intentions on replying 1st thing when I get back in the office, but again, it just slips my mind as I get caught up in the many other things that are in front of me. I have learned that I am, as my husband calls it, an "out-of-sight, out-of-mind" person, and this is my resolution for the coming year...I am going to find a system that helps to solve this character challenge.
I know many of you are probably thinking that we all have this problem and it is not that major, but lately, I am finding that it is spreading to other aspects of my life and really is a problem. I find myself not being a very good friend, as people think it is not important to me to respond to their emails, but it truly is important...I just forget when I am at my computer, as I deal with other work issues all day long. I also find myself not responding to requests from work related issues, as I respond to the more pressing emails, or "put out fires" and then forget to go back to those less pressing emails that still require a response.
My intentions are always to go back at the end of the day to get caught up, but somehow I just find myself deeper and deeper in this challenge. So, there it is, my big flaw, but I am vowing now that I am going to improve!! So, if you have written me, with no response, I apologize in advance, and promise to get back with you soon =)
I hear you!
ReplyDeleteI can't beleive you even have a blog...I can just keep up with emails, family & the business let alone another thing like a blog.
My husband gets mad at me because I have a million emails in my inbox that I need to respond to but I just read and keep going thinking I will respond later...(just like you). He sais what I need to do is just imediately respond to each email that I read if it is pressing or not that way it will not accumulate on me making me have this overwhelming feeling of emails I need to get back to and respond.
So...here is your challenge...I am one of the people you have not responded to yet...so I am giving you one more chance...What do you think about the Pre-Golden Globe Award Boom Boom Room?
Worth it or Not Worth It????
You can email me privately if you wish.
Hope you had a great Thanksgiving...and thanks for sharing little Aubrey with us...especially with that Sassy TuTu...wink, wink!
Janie Dale
Hi Amber, Hope you don't mind some helpful advice because I think I have conquered the same problem that you have. As for the emails, you should create a folder titled "must respond today" or something like that and make sure it gets moved to the top of all your folders. When you read an email that needs your attention, move that email to the folder. Set aside an hour a day to work on emails and nothing else. Put a reminder on your calendar and make this the same time every day. That might help you fend off those emails. Hope that helps just a little
ReplyDeletejust a suggestion... i've created a "RESPOND TO" box in my email program. i then drag the emails that i've read, but need to get back to into that folder and then mark them as UNREAD so that the folder becomes highlighted and it catches my eye.
ReplyDeletemaybe that will help!
Here's a suggestion....use microsoft outlook and you can utlize their email flagging system, where it allows you to choose a specfic color and category...such as (email sent)or (followup-asap) which would have a colored square next to it and you just doubleclick next to your email and select the different categories. It helps me stay on track!!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for all the great advice!! I am implementing a new "Response Required" folder today, so hopefully I will be making improvements soon. I sincerely appreciate all of your support!
ReplyDeleteAmber
My life is the same way, wife gets mad as I'm always checking e-mails.
ReplyDeleteFrom a child author in Concord, Ca
williamsawyers.com
Stories for the ages of 3 on up.
I'm from Concord, Ca
and a father of 2.
Don't be so hard on yourself. Bottom line is you're going to drop the ball here and there no matter what system you have in place. Just try not to drop the important ones. By the way...Great blog!
ReplyDeleteCameron Gonzales
http://kidswearsource.blogspot.com
Don't sweat the small stuff.. Maybe try to reply each email as you go along. For those emails with similar responses needed, maybe you can set up a template on a Ms.Word.Document and just copy, paste and edit them as you need to.
ReplyDeleteGreat blog you have.
DjStoreRoom
http://djstoreroom.blogspot.com