Control your email and phone calls - simple strategies that really work
Too many phone calls and e mails can stress out a solo professional. Follow the practical tips in this article to help get you out of overwhelm and regain control of incoming interruptions.
One easy way to avoid unwanted telephone interruptions is to install a separate office line, leaving the home phone on answer phone. Of course, make sure those who need to, know how to contact you in an emergency.
If you have small children, train them not to answer Mummy's office phone, or they may tell that brand new prospective client that Mummy can't come to the phone right now as she's in the loo!
I know it's hard to do, but if you're working to a deadline you may choose to put the office phone on answer machine some of the time. It can be a scary thought as you may worry you'll miss an important call, but sometimes circumstances may dictate this. Just make sure you return calls within a reasonable time. And why not turn off the ringer on the office phone at the end of the day?
When I call someone I always ask if this is a good time. Unfortunately most people don't ask this question at the beginning of a call. However, you can take the call, get the gist and then agree a time when you will call them back. Even if we do pick up the phone we don't have to get embroiled in a long call if it's not convenient.
Also, caller display can be a great boon. At least some of the time you'll have advance warning of who's calling and can decide whether to pick up or not.
Choose whether you will use a mobile or a land-line as your main method of taking calls. Because I am mainly home based, I use a land-line for my business and am very sparing with who I give my mobile number to. A friend of mine who's a Personal Fitness trainer does the opposite as she's out and about most of the time. Having one main phone really can reduce stress!
E-mail is probably the top distraction for home based business owners who spend a lot of time in front of their computers. In an ideal world, I'd recommend checking e-mail three, or at most, four times a day. Apparently, each time we are interrupted in a major project it can take as long as 20 minutes to get back to the level of concentration and involvement we had when we were interrupted.
Filter your e-mail for spam and create separate folders for each "stream" of e-mail. Turn off the "ping" that says there is new e-mail and set your e-mail preferences so that you only get e-mail on demand. These two actions alone could save you hundreds of interruptions every year.
Be very selective about any e-zines you subscribe to and consider having a maximum number like a top 10. I used to subscribe to far too many and then worried I might be missing out on something as they piled up unread. Cutting right back has felt really liberating.
The bottom line: Remember, we are in control of dealing with incoming phone calls and the e-mails that are allowed into our in boxes. Use voice mail and the delete button on your computer!
Control your email and phone calls simple strategies that really work - To learn more about this author, visit Shona Partridge's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
![]() | |
| |
No article feedback found. |
| |
Leave Your Feedback |
|
| |
| |||
George LudwigGeorge Ludwig is a recognized authority on sales strategy and peak performance psychology. An international speaker, trainer, and corporate consultant, he helps clients like Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Laboratories, Northwestern Mutual, CIGNA, and numerous others improve sales force effectiveness and performance. Though it's George's strategies and processes that help corporations increase productivity and performance, it's his tremendous energy and dynamism that spark the transformation. Again and again, clients remark on his amazing ability to unleash human capacity and inspire men and women to break out of their comfort zones. The result is a whole new type of salesperson. His customized presentations teach achievers to make stunning advances in their lives. From helping salespeople realize cherished dreams to helping corporations exponentially accelerate revenue streams, George Ludwig leaves audiences and individuals empowered, emboldened, and clamoring for more. George is the best-selling author of Power Selling: Seven Strategies for Cracking the Sales Code and Wise Moves: 60 Quick Tips to Improve Your Position in Life & Business. - Visit George Ludwig's Website |
|||
Cheryl MatthynssensCheryl is a life skills coach, licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor and a 20 year entrepreneur. Cheryl's dedication to achieving a life of balance led to her expanding her teaching from the simple managing of life's daily challenges to adding financial well being as well. A direct marketer with DrinkACT, she is gaining ground in the online community with her concepts of making sure business owners, entreprenuers and employees have well rounded life styles. She opened up a small affiliate site - The Balance Guide- to help others find resources for mental and emotional well being. Visit Cheryl's blog to see more of the diversity beyond business she has began offering online at www.thebalanceguide.blogspot.com - Visit Cheryl Matthynssens's Website |
|||
Joe DagerJoe Dager is President of Business901, a progressive coaching company providing no-nonsense direction in areas such as Lean Six Sigma Marketing and organized referral marketing. What others say: In the past 20 years, Joe and I have collaborated on many difficult issues. Joe’s ability to combine his expertise with “out of the box” thinking is unsurpassed. He has always delivered quickly, cost effectively and with ingenuity. A brilliant mind that is always a pleasure to work with.” - James R. If you want to learn more about Business901, start a conversation with us. We can be found @ Web/Blog: Business901.com Web/Blog: FundingYourNonprofit.com LinkedIn Profile Follow me on Twitter - Visit Joe Dager's Website |
|||
Stephanie RobeyStephanie Robey is President and CoFounder of Pivot Positive, LLC - an Internet marketing business focused on helping people start work at home ventures. Previously, she was employed at The Search Agency with over 20 years experience in graphic design and 10 years experience in online marketing. She was responsible for launching the Conversion Path Optimization (CPO) unit where she and her team have conducted hundreds of optimization tests for online companies across multiple verticals. She is a successful entrepreneur having started and sold 2 companies and remains on the board of directors of the third, PhotoSpin.com Stephanie began her career in the direct marketing realm creating and producing direct mail for many of the major cable television companies and directly attributes her understanding of Internet marketing to those early offline experiences. Stephanie is a graduate of San Diego State University with a BFA in Graphic Arts and also holds an Executive MBA from the Graziadio School of Business and Management at Pepperdine University. Read Steph's Blog Meet Steph and Dave Sign up for our Free 7-Day BootCamp: Self Employed & Rich - Visit Stephanie Robey's Website |
|||
|
To learn more about the Evan Elite Author Program please contact us. | |||
![]() | |
|
| |
![]() | |
|
| |
![]() | |
|
| |
![]() | |||||||
|
![]() | ||
|
| ||
![]() |
| Have you written articles that would be of value to entrepreneurs? Become an expert on our site by publishing them! Expose yourself to a wide audience, drive more traffic to your website and get more sales! Click Here for details. |
|
|
![]() |
| Modeling the Masters: Learn the true secrets behind Walt Disney's business success factors & grow your company! Video produced by Phanta Media |
|
|
![]() |
"Learn straight from Evan how you can Make a Full Time Income (And More) from a Website"
Click Here To Learn More |
|
|
|
|
Get advice & tips from famous business owners, new articles by entrepreneur experts, my latest website updates, & special sneak peaks at what's to come!
|
![]() |
|
|
![]() | ||
|
Fortune Hunters
CBC Entrepreneur TV | ||
|
Top 50 Geek Business Blogs
Top 50 Geek Business Blogs | ||
![]() | ||
![]() | ||||
| ||||
| ||||
| ||||
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|








Subscribe to Shona's articles











