In This Edition:

1. The Last of May
2. Does Email Rule All?
3. Offline, Optimize Your Time Online
4. Deal or No Deal

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The Last of May

High school and college graduations, the NBA playoffs, and a cruise to the North Atlantic (my 14th sojourn) are in the air. After a wonderful first third of the year, I'm looking forward to the next two-thirds. Amazingly, from an initial list of 150 recipients who I... ahem... "subscribed," Breathing Space monthly zine subscribers have grown to nearly 3000 in number! New subscribers are actually out-pacing "unsubcribers" by 3 to 1 each month. In age of too much email, will such miracles ever cease?

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Does Email Rule All?

By now, the advantages and disadvantages of e-mail are abundantly clear. It's fast, it's easy, and it's relatively cheap! The impact of e-mail on your productivity can be devastating, however, if it's used unwisely. Some people, surely not you, constantly check their e-mail all day long, compounding the information glut that they already face. Some people incessantly send mail merely to receive mail. Some people, the dear souls, spend time actually pondering the spam they receive.

Who among us does not receive more e-mail than he or she can possibly respond to? By some estimates, the typical official professional today receives 150 to 190 e-mail messages per day at a minimum, even with spam filters! Despite software filters and ISP crackdowns, mass delivery from spammers has risen dramatically. Data from Jupiter Communications reveals that there are far more e-mail accounts in the U.S. than there are people. Spammers know this and spread their junk everywhere with reckless abandon.

As you may know, it's wise to resist any temptation to respond to spam! Never respond even to a procedure for removal from the spammer's list. If you do, you only confirm that your e-mail address is active, which will make you a future target. Maddening, isn't it? Do:

Send any spam messages you receive to your ISP's abuse account, along with the source code from the original spam message.

Avoid posting your primary e-mail address anywhere on the Internet if you can help it. Use a secondary address.

For secondary email addresses, choose one deep in the alphabet. Spammers' lists run alphabetically. When an ISP successfully cuts off a spammer, addresses at the end of the list are spared from receiving the junk.

Choose a complex e-mail address. Mattij@yahoo.com, for instance, will receive more spam than gf1W3ly68@hotmail.com.

Be selective when registering online. Different Web sites have widely differing policies about the privacy of your e-mail address. When in doubt, check it out, or don't register.

Even without spam, you're still probably receiving dozens of e-mails per day. That's quite a bit of verbiage. To effectively manage your time, keep your job, and have a life, how do you handle e-mail?

When composing messages that you intend to have read, offer a vibrant subject lines so that the receiver will read them. If you have trouble thinking one up, wait until you have first composed your message. Then peruse what you've written, and voila! Two or three words (usually together) will jump out at you, and there's your subject.

Also, treat any e-mail you ever send as having the potential to revisit you! If you write an email that can land you in trouble, expect it to come back and haunt you.

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Offline, Optimize Your Time Online

Here's an idea that my audiences just love: Early in the morning, before downloading new messages, the "administrivia" that you handle and complete often enhances your productivity in both sending and receiving e-mail. This includes arranging your inboxes and composing thoughts before going online.

As with all good writing, it's prudent to park outbound e-mail messages for a while and revisit them before sending. With virtually all software and service providers, you have the option to store an e-mail message as a "draft message" for later retrieval as desired. Also, those who check their e-mail at every spare moment often are not doing such a great job. Avoid that trap, by enhancing your offline effectiveness.

Considering the big picture of life via email, could it it be too convenient for our own good? Have you ever angered or confused anyone because of an e-mail? If you think the answer is "no," think again. Unless worded carefully, e-mails can seem impersonal, cold, even abrasive. It's not that you intended to ruffle any feathers, but in the haste of instant communication, ruffling happens! As a good rule of thumb, if your message is...

intricate

personal or emotional in nature

completely novel

one that requires extended clarification

one that seeks approval

one that may have profound impact on the recipient.
...you might want to call by phone rather than send an email. After all, a little voice contact now and then never hurts and may help considerably!

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Deal or No Deal

Last month, onsite I offered several groups a $134.75 package of learning tools for $77.00 and many people jumped at the chance. So here's yours opportunity, while I still have the books in inventory. For $77.00, plus $3.99 shipping, you will receive:

book: The Joy of Simple Living (Rodale) retail, $27.95

book: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Managing Your Time (Alpha/Penguin) *18.95

book: Breathing Space (MasterMedia) $14.95

audiobook: Vanquishing Stress (PersonlaQuest) $59.95

CD: Managing Information Overload (Apex Systems) 12.95.

To make ordering really simple, merely write the single word "Deal" and fax your order toll free to 888-932-2003, using VISA or Mastercard; call it in toll free at 800-735-1994; or send your check to Breathing Space, 2417 Honeysuckle Road, Chapel Hill NC 27514.