The use of email in business has mushroomed so quickly and become so ubiquitous that it has become hard to remember working without it.


Email has become the hands-down method of choice for business communication, and for many great reasons:

*Communications move quickly and succinctly
*Communications can involve multiple parties in multiple locations easily
*Content of the communication is traceable - things don't get lost
*Communications develop a thread of continuity as the email bounces among the participants
*Emails can have attachments and links which enhance the breadth and depth of communication

For these reasons, email has moved to the core of our business functioning. At work, the first thing we do is check our email. It stays on all day. New emails pop in as we work and we shoot off quick answers without thinking twice. We juggle and multitask with ease, because email has made it so easy.

One of the difficulties of using computers is that we need to select and use the software appropriate for use for a particular task. One moment we are word processing, spreadsheeting the next, using profession-specific software a moment later.

It can be a disjointed experience for us and even for our computers as they crash from having too many windows open simultaneously.

Why not try to use the power of email to assist in unifying your work experience?

Examples:

*When jotting down notes from a phone call, jot them on a new email. They won't get lost and you can email them to yourself or others as you see fit.

*If you think of a document you will need to create, put your initial content on an email and build it during your work day. When you have accumulated enough content, open the appropriate software and copy/paste.

*If you travel and need to access files from multiple locations and computers, email the file to yourself and download the file when you are remote.

*Conversely, when working remotely, email your work file to yourself with the subject line, "File This". When you get back to home base, file it where you need it.

*Explore your email system's search capabilities. There is a wealth of information buried in your old emails. Think creatively about how to get the most out of this wealth of data. Realize that information kept in email is the most easily searchable work you have at your disposal.

*Begin your email subject line with a 3 or 4 letter prefix which represents the project at hand. When you wish to search the history of your project, use the prefix letters in your search and get a wonderful chronological record of your project.

*Use a tickler service such as Bounceback Server(http://www.poingo.com). Using this type of service, you can send yourself emails which return to you at a time interval you specify. This adds a follow-up reminder system to the already broad capabilities of your email.

Mark Meshulam offers Poingo Productivity Suite, unique & inexpensive software which speeds your work and makes it more fun. Includes:

Email tickler system. Create JPGs and PDFs. Edit images in Outlook. Timestamp filenames. Send files using FTP. Hotkey shortcuts to anything. Cropped screen capture. Much more. http://www.poingo.com

See Mark's blog, educational ruminations on people and technology in the workplace. http://www.poingology.com