One Day, Processing Email Will Not Be The Focus of Our Day

What does the future of email look like? Who is charting the course? Aside from helpful add-ons, email has yet to see a major transformation. Given the large volume of information exchange and the increased time to process, the tool is in much need of enhancements; aka a major transformation, a revolution if you will.

Chris Anderson, TED Curator, drafted the Email Charter, a concise ten step list providing users with some guidelines for a more effective email communication, which you should share with everyone you know. Chris provides great tips on managing large volumes of email, for example keeping emails short, tightening the thread, and eliminating open ended questions. While email users catch onto this and incorporate these steps into their process, the enhancements need to be built into the technology - email needs to become smarter. Email needs to process itself prior to coming into your inbox or maybe there won't be an inbox in the future. Perhaps all forms of communication; email, texting, blogging, tweeting, will be hosted in a collaborative tool.

Large companies such as Google and Microsoft have provided the most commonly known email tools, however there are small companies and startups such as ActiveInbox, Shortmail, Xobni, Huddle, 410 Labs, Producteev, Smak, Taskforce and iDoneThis, that are contributing as well with great products, increasing the effectiveness towards how we communicate, track actions/tasks, and collaborate. These companies, along with visionaries like Chris Anderson, are part of the reconstruction efforts to push communication forward. The email revolution needs to be in the commitments of every technology company that truly wants to make an impact in productivity. With the amount of information that is being exchanged and the time it takes to collect and respond, the need for effective mechanisms to manage (quickly) is a requirement.

Work Life Balance Needs a New Approach

Another resuscitation of the work life balance debate is on with the latest results from the Bloomberg Discrimination Suit. This debate needs a new approach, how about…... balance is the result of many actions, most of which should come from the employee. It's time employees took stock of their own situation. Because frontline employees are "in the weeds" it's their responsibility to communicate up where the issues are, suggestions for improvement, and requests for additional resources. All of this upward communication is required to improve process and working conditions so employees can work smarter. It is managements responsibility to review, interpret, assess, and respond back to these suggestions. Once the employees have been heard, they can assess the results and determine if they are in the right job/organization. It's a two way street, balance should not be the focal point of the discussion, as it is really just the result of many other actions.