Navigating the Chaos of Communication

Today, messengers have become one of the primary tools of communication. They have taken a firm place in both personal and corporate communication.

However, like any phenomenon, the widespread use of messengers has two sides. The advantages are clear — contacting anyone, regardless of location, is easy and convenient. But there are also downsides.

For example, when someone with the nickname FluffyPinkySugarSocks sends you a business request or when the virtual interlocutor’s avatar pictures something that would make Hieronymus Bosch himself hide under the bed in horror and drink valerian mixture for a couple of days afterward — you start feeling a certain skepticism to a counterparty.

There is another significant downside rooted in the advantage described above. Communication in messengers is very dynamic. Depending on your industry and position, you can receive several hundred to several thousand messages daily. Suppose you communicate with many people throughout the day and attend many meetings. In that case, tracking who asked you to do what and when can sometimes become difficult.

At some point, there are too many minor requests from colleagues and clients, and the number of chats becomes so large that it is impossible to remember all requests. Considering the speed of communication, even pinning important messages in chats only sometimes helps.

After some time, all this starts to upset and demotivate. It is simply impossible to keep all correspondences in memory.

Sound familiar? For me — yes. What to do about it? I have a great way of organizing communications so that almost nothing gets lost in sight.

An email helps me with this. I follow several rules:

First, if something can be resolved in a quick and short chat in a messenger — it should be done there. But if the issue requires comprehensive discussion, solving the problem may take a long time, or the participation of a large number of different people who are not always available at the same time is required — it needs to be discussed in an email.

Second, a letter requires a decision, a response to be written, or something to be controlled. In that case, the letter stays in my inbox until all actions on it are completed. The letter was sent to the archive as soon as I finished everything necessary.

This allows me to always be sure that important issues will not get lost and will be resolved on time. Unlike messages in messengers, which can quickly disappear from the eye, email helps me systematize tasks and keep track of every important matter.

I hope this approach will help you successfully organize your activities.