Stop Checking Email – Get Custom Notification Alerts from AwayFind

On By The SaneBox GangIn EmailLeave a comment

AwayFind’s mission is a noble one – to help you stop checking email and stay out of your inbox as much as possible. AwayFind’s services alert you about important messages so you don’t have to obsessively check your inbox 10 or more times a day. Depending on rules you set up, AwayFind will scan through your inbox and send you notifications through many mediums such as phone call, SMS, iPhone, and Android push notifications. AwayFind is an ideal option for avoiding email and information overload. Let’s find out exactly how it works.

AwayFind Setup

Considering all the unique features, setting up AwayFind is easy.  I quickly set up an account using Gmail oauth, and I was guided through the whole process (and if I can do it, so can anyone).

I chose to use SMS messages as the main notification method, and when I keyed in my cell phone number, I received a verification code immediately (it’s also refreshing that the code is only 2 digits, and I didn’t have to enter a 14 digit hexadecimal code). After this, I was allowed to set up the email filters that can apply to all my incoming mails. When doing this, you will notice two filters that are already set as examples. The first filter allows you to receive notifications when a contact you’re meeting with ‘within 12 hours’ sends you an email, and the second one is an email with ‘asap’ or ‘urgent’ flags. You can  set up new contacts based on the subject, the contact’s name, etc, and specify a time at which you prefer receiving these notifications.

Having set up the filters, you can now look at other unique features: email signatures, intelligent auto-responders, an iPhone and Android apps and customized contact forms that can be used by contacts to send you alerts.

AwayFind Features

–        Outlook and Gmail plugins that help you to set up and edit filters without necessarily signing into the site.

–        Unique, intelligent ways of setting up filters for scanning your emails and notifying you.

–        A custom contact form that your contacts can fill to contact you without knowing your phone number.

–        iPhone/Android client push notifications.

–        A handy guide on how to avoid email overload without checking your email.

–        AwayFind offers different pricing plans. The individual plans range from $5-50/month, and there’s a version for businesses as well. The free plan includes limited access to features and smaller caps for alerts while the other paid plans include access to all features and up the caps for alerts.

We think of AwayFind as a natural extension of SaneBox. SaneBox helps you spend less time in your Inbox, and AwayFind lets you leave it altogether. Check it out, and tell them the SaneBox Gang sent-cha.

 

10 Rules to Reverse Email Overload Spiral And Save Time: Part 3

On By The SaneBox GangIn Email1 Comment

The finish line to becoming email experts is just within reach. You’ve mastered how to respect recipient’s time, celebrated clarity, quashed open-ended questions, slashed surplus cc’s and tightened your threads. Training’s been vigorous, but you’ve made it through and now’s the time to test out your endurance for the last lap. Let’s check out the final 4 rules to reversing the email spiral as we come to the end of the Email Charter.

 

Rule 7: Attack Attachments

Sometimes fancy signatures or company logos at the end of your email appear as attachments to your message. Typically, when there is an attachment to an email your recipient will assume that it is something intended for them to download. Their time is wasted trying to see if there’s something to open. You can solve this problem by using a standard signature including your name, title and appropriate contact information. Or, if you still desire a distinguished signature there are sites like WiseStamp that will create unique signatures without any attachments. You can even go so far as to add a headshot.

Another attachment faux pas is attaching documents with text that could have simply been included in the body of your email. Take a few extra seconds to copy and paste the information to the message. This way you save time for your recipient and keep everything in one place.

 

Rule 8: Give these Gifts: EOM NNTR

Abbreviated Coded Rendition Of Name Yielding Meaning. ACRONYM.  If your email message can be expressed in half a dozen words, give the gift of an acronym to offer a heads up to your recipients. Try putting EOM (End of Message) after your subject line so you save them the 30 seconds it takes to open an email. For example: “Staff Meeting at 9am Tuesday. EOM” You get your message across and shave a few seconds off of someone’s busy work day.

Another worthwhile acronym to test out is NNTR (No Need to Respond). Tag it on to the end of a message that requires no response. You’ve just cut an email out of their to-do list and saved yourself a click or two in your inbox. Many acronyms confuse as much as help, but these two are golden and deserve wide adoption. Hopefully it will catch on around the office and you’ll be the next workplace trendsetter.

 

Rule 9: Cut Contentless Responses

You’ve just adopted the NNTR method to avoiding unnecessary responses, now’s the time to follow your own system. Before you hit the send button, which can’t be undone, ask yourself “Will this make a difference?” If your response does not define or develop the conversation then take a safe bet and cut it out. You don’t need to reply to every email; especially not those that are themselves clear responses. An email saying, “Thanks for your note. I’m in.” does not need you to reply “Great.” Unless your message engages a new direction or stimulates further response don’t bother hitting that button.

 

Rule 10: Disconnect!

A GradSource study reminded us that “learning occurs when what you put into short-term-memory connects with what you already know which is stored in long-term-memory.” By giving yourself a 10-minute break every 50 minutes you have a higher rate of retaining information. When you are constantly connected to your inbox, you’re not giving yourself enough time to process all the information that you’re feeding your brain. Give yourself a break to rejuvenate and recharge. If you can’t commit to small increments throughout the day, consider calendaring half-days at work where you can’t go online or make a pledge to email-free weekends with an ‘auto-response’ that references this charter. If we all agreed to spend less time doing email, we’d all get less email! Give each other a break and catch up on the things your missing when your eyes are glued to your smartphone and, don’t forget to smell the roses.

SaneBox prioritize important emails

 

How to Reduce E-Mail Overload in Your Organization

On By The SaneBox GangIn EmailLeave a comment

According to a study by Gartner/eCompany, employees claim thаt 34% оf thе internal email theу receive іѕ unnecessary (wow).  Try theѕе tips tо reduce email overload inside yоur organization.

Use informative headings

Use аn informative text message fоr thе subject line. Your reader dоesn’t еvеn havе tо spend time opening thе email. They саn read аnd delete. They gеt thе message аnd theу save time.

Use headings іn thе body оf yоur email too. Think abоut reading а newspaper. How оftеn dо уоu јuѕt scan thе headlines? The ѕame applies tо уour email. Structure yоur email logically, аnd provide а heading fоr eaсh paragraph. Your reader wіll bе ablе tо find key information quickly bу eіther scanning оr searching.

Differentiate betweеn urgent and non-urgent emails

Is уоur message critical, urgent, оr can wait? Assist your team bу flagging urgent emails (but for heaven’s sake, don’t abuse it.)

Group уоur ‘internal comms’ and send thеm аt thе ѕаmе time eасh day

A study bу Scottish universities Glasgow аnd Paisley revealed thаt ѕоme staff checked thеir in-boxes 30-40 times рer hour (admit it, you do it too!)  A lot has been said about the efficiency of dealing wіth emails аt set times еach day. But what if you start sending internal communications аt thе ѕаmе time eасh day, as well?

An email aggregation tool enables internal email aggregation іnto а company newsletter. So, rаther thаn IT sending аn email update abоut а planned outage, marketing sending product information updates, аnd HR sending thеir staffing updates оut vіа email, аll of theѕе messages cаn bе consolidated іntо thе samе summary quickly аnd easily (kind of like the SaneBox daily summary).

Manage group email lists аnd dоn’t deal іn internal spam

How оftеn dо уоu оr yоur staff open аn email аnd thеn spend severаl minutes deciding іf уоu nеed tо read іt оr not? What а waste оf time аnd email storage space! Try appointing аn email gatekeeper: ѕomеоne whо knоwѕ еaсh email group, whаt information iѕ relevant to еасh group, аnd whаt еaсh group nееds tо know. The gatekeeper ensures eаch group receives оnly relevant emails.

Target уоur audience аnd make emails relevant tо them.

So whеn уоu arе writing аn email, think abоut thе people whо wіll read it. Then write tо thеm іn language thеу wіll understand. Make thе message relevant tо thеm аnd thеir role. Tell thеm whу уоu arе writing tо thеm аnd whаt yоu wаnt thеm tо know, thіnk оr do. Whether уou arе sending informative emails оr publishing аn internal magazine, уоu nеed tо knоw уоur audience.

Before уоu email, aѕk уоurѕelf “Is email thе bеѕt waу to communicate thіѕ message?”

This is probably the most important tip of all.  Email іѕ uѕеd аt times tо convey sensitive оr еvеn unpleasant messages, but thіs іѕ simply nоt good practice. Examine аnd promote alternative ways оf conveying thе message. Why nоt uѕe а staff meeting instead, so that questions can be addressed live instead of in a long email thread?

 

The Email Charter: 10 Rules to Reverse the Email Overload Spiral: Part 2

On By The SaneBox GangIn EmailLeave a comment

Previously we revisited the lost endeavor of “paying it forward” and integrating the idea into daily email rituals.  We evaluated our email communication and what we could do on our end to make life a little easier for the recipients of our messages. Now that we’ve mastered how to respect each others time, let’s keep pushing to become email Samaritans.

As promised, here are the next three steps of the Email Charter.

 

Rule 4: Quash Open-Ended Questions

After reading an elaborate email stuffed with long paragraphs of turgid text, the last thing the reader wants to be bothered with is a dubious question like, “Thoughts?” While your intentions are only to help ease the readers mind, remember you’ve just packed a thirty-minute phone call into an email. The best way to provide a comforting valediction is to give clear options for the recipient if they choose to seek your help. Email generosity requires simplifying, easy-to-answer questions. “Can I help best by a) calling b) visiting or c) staying right out of it?!”

 

Rule 5: Slash Surplus cc’s

Have you ever been somewhere where the conversation is rolling and you thought to yourself, “No one would notice if I wasn’t here?” After the main points of the exchange were made, you felt no need to participate in the ongoing discussion. You could easily slip away and the focus of the group wouldn’t drift in the slightest; much like being cc’d on messages unrelated to anything of your concern.  Being cc’d on an initially relevant message is no problem. However, receiving emails from fellow cc’ers who have carelessly chosen ‘Reply All’ is like being stuck at an office party where the conversation and the open bar have run dry. From the start, for every recipient you add, you are dramatically multiplying total response time. Cut the superfluous. Maybe you only need to cc a couple of people on the original thread. Or none.

 

Rule 6: Tighten the Thread

How amazing would it be if we could click “remove” and instantly shed ten pounds? Unfortunately, loosing weight isn’t as easy as getting rid of excess threads. Relieve the build up of email threads to focus on what’s relevant. It’s rare that a thread should extend beyond three emails. If emailing starts to turn into texting, pick up the phone and make the call. Emails should be used for questions or notifications that require simple responses. Once emails begin to convert to ambiguous discourses nothing is being accomplished. Trim the weight of your email threads to stay on track and reduce scrolling through outdated information. Think of your email threads as a tight rope and you are a tight rope walker. To be effective you need to be focused and concise with no superfluous information. Tighten the content of your messages by eliminating extraneous threads this way you keep your rope tight and so there’s less risk of falling off (topic).

If you add these three tips along with the last edition’s tips you’ll become a pro at keeping emails and content to a minimum while keeping your context focused. Coupled with some handy tools for keeping e-mail overload under control in your own inbox, you should be all set. Stay tuned for the next 4 tips to Reversing the Email Spiral.

 

SaneBox + RescueTime = Love at First Sight

On By The SaneBox GangIn SaneBoxLeave a comment

 

Do you spend a lot of time online but sometimes wonder just how much work you are getting done?  Used to happen to us all the time until we found (and fell in love with) RescueTime.  Sanebox+RescueTime is a match of highly effective email management and productivity made in heaven.

RescueTime is a service that helps you easily understand and optimize how and where you should prioritize your time on your computer. RescueTime removes the “looking busy” part of online work and focuses attention on getting things done that are of actual benefit.

 

Here’s how it works.  A tiny application is installed on the computer that keeps track of online activity. This application focuses on the sites actually receiving your attention rather than what windows are open. Good decision making is largely dependant on having quality information. RescueTime provides you with that data so that you can focus on Getting Things Done that actually need to be done.

Email management is a core part of GTD. Most of us suffer from email overload and will probably rarely see Inbox Zero. SaneBox fixes that. It helps you focus on what’s important, by filtering non-urgent messages out of your inbox into a separate folder.  This means that important emails that need your attention actually get your attention, while everything else can wait.

Try SaneBox and RescueTime together, and you’ll see how much less time you’ll spend in your inbox. Individually they are great time management tools. When used together they are the perfect partnership for those looking to save time in email and online activities in general.

 

You’ve Got (Video) Email [Infographic]

On By The SaneBox GangIn EmailLeave a comment

Regardless of whether you are getting video email or dogs in business suits, SaneBox can help manage your inbox. (How cool would a video of dogs in business suits be?)

For the typical small business, email marketing is used o reach the most relevant audience and drive conversion rates. But today, these email blasts are getting a negative reputation, ending up discarded in SPAM inboxes. Enter the YouTube era. Can organizations effectively use interactive video to shake up their business model and appeal to a tech-savvy generation of digital consumers?

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Do you back up your computer? You should!

On By The SaneBox GangIn ProductivityLeave a comment

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Don’t wait until you lose something.  A hard drive can crash any time – even a solid state hard drive on your brand new Macbook Air (happened to a friend recently!)  Just because you use IMAP and the email is held on your email server doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do backups.  One would hope that your email service provider does backups too, but it is better to have control of your own life.

For example, at SaneBox we use Rsync, Crashplan and SuperDuper. Remember to test if your backups are really working by trying to recover something every 6 months or so.  If you use SuperDuper, try booting off your SuperDuper drive. Tell us **your** favorite backup/disaster recovery solutions in the comments section, and we will aggregate that list and resend in a future Activity Report.