It’s weird that, in today’s world of Twitter and Facebook, people still don’t seem to have a good grasp of emails. It’s bad enough that people mess things up with personal emails but it’s worse when people do it in their business emails where things could go more horrible wrong with more grotesque consequences. Here are some mistakes to avoid when writing business emails.

Using an unprofessional email address. Your company should provide you

Childish fonts and emoticons. Oh sure. Most email clients and services offer rich-text editing. But do you have to write it in Comic Sans, in pink, and peppered with smileys? Not only does this make it unreadable for people, it makes you look like an immature thirteen year-old Justin Bieber fan.

Sending the email to the wrong person. Oh how many times has this happened? Before hitting send, make sure that you’re sending it to the right person. Gmail has an extra feature that would give you five extra seconds after hitting send to cancel the process just in case you go cross-eyed and butterfingers with the recipient line again.

Unclear subject lines. Keep in mind that subject lines are also being used to filter spam. So if you have very generic subject lines like “Hello!” (or forbid “Grow extra 2 inches!”), it’s likely to get flagged as spam. Even if you get through the spam filter, people now sort email based on the subject lines. So make sure the subject line is clear and gives a good picture of the content, e.g. “May 2011 Sales Figures Summary”.

Not being clear and concise. No one likes to read rambling emails. In today’s business environment, no one has got the time to read lengthy emails. Go straight to the point. Use lists and bullet points to itemize. Make it scan-able by using bold letters to emphasize key points.

One of the time traps at work is emails. People spend so much time checking emails that it is recognized as one of the top interruptions and distractions at work. Precious focus and schedules have been thrown off by this nasty habit of constantly checking emails.

People have now gotten to believe that if they fail to check their email on a per-minute basis, they can miss out on something important. Sure, important emails might be sent to you through the course of the workday but you need not spend every minute of every work hour spying on your inbox.

A way to manage emails is to set aside periods where you check and reply to urgent emails. One trick that I do is I spread my email work into four 10-minute sessions in my workday.

It’s the first thing I sit down on my computer, then I check again just before my first coffee break in the morning. I check it again after lunch and finally just after my last break in the afternoon. This allows me to respond to critical emails without losing my grove for the rest of the work day.

Also, try to avoid using it like an IM or a text chat. You have technologies for those. If you need to urgently resolve matters, try making a phone call instead so that you can have instantaneous feedback.

Organize your inbox. One of the things I love about Gmail is its labeling and filtering features. This way, I can set a filter for every email that I usually receive. This allows me to immediately know the nature of the emails I receive. After I resolve an email, I automatically archive it properly labelled. This way, my inbox is clutter free.

A family-owned business can make or break a marriage since this can bring all the benefits and the stress of a business to you and your spouse. As the only owners of the business, all the profit earned will be kept within the family. However, overcoming all the hurdles, difficulties and the tension of maintaining the business will rest on both of your shoulders. Here are some tips and reminders on spouses as business partners so you can enjoy the benefits of the business with less of the headaches.

Be clear with the vision and objectives of the family business. Make sure that both of you have the same understanding of what the business is and what it stands for. This will come in handy if you need to resolve any differences within your business transaction or operations.

If there are other conflicts that are difficult to resolve, accept the fact that there are some cases that a consensus simply cannot be reached. Prepare to compromise and don’t dwell on it any further.

Divide the tasks and responsibilities of the business between you and your spouse. Assert your expertise and knowledge on a certain field but also acknowledge the fact that your spuse have his/her own expertise as well. Also remember that no one should feel threatened with the professional competence of the other. Both of you are working towards the prosperity of the business and there should be no room for envy and jealousy since this will ony prove to be detrimental to your business.

Put your relationship first and try not to eat, breathe and sleep business. Make sure that you and your spouse still have time together for much needed rest and partner and family bonding. Your marriage should be the number one priority since this is what keeps you family together and not the business.

Here are tips on how to do business lunches or dinner:

Find out from your guest if he or she has preferences when it comes to
cuisine. Allow your guest to choose, and ask if they have certain food
allergies that should be considered. Ask if the guest smokes or not so
you can also pick the most suitable table. Also, have your guest
chooese the most convenient time for them. Choose a restaurant that is
well-known for its food, service, and ambiance. Also, it should be
reasonably priced, especially if you have a budget.

Make reservations as much as possible. This will ensure that your
party will have a table when you arrive. Be at the restaurant ahead of
the guest and notify the server on who will pick up the tab. Allow for
tips on your budget.

Sit the guest opposite you. Start with light conversation and have
some (preferably) non-alcoholic drink while waiting for your meal.
Remember to mind your table manners and be sure you have your agenda
planned for a smooth meeting.

Here are some tips on how to get back on track after a long period of unemployment:
Congratulations!
The soonest you find out you’re going back to the workforce, make sure you give yourself enough time to re-adjust. For example, if you’ve been used to sleeping until noon, start waking up early in the morning.
Get all your personal obligations settled. Arrange for replacements (if you had a part-time job), or a baby-sitter if you have kids that need taken care of.
Take care of yourself. Eat healthy and get exercise. Expect to feel exhausted the first week or so as you adjust physically and mentally to the new routine.
Buy yourself a new wardrobe or at least a few key pieces you will need for work. Get a haircut, etc. These will help boost your confidence as well.

Here are some tips on how to eat healthily when you’re on a business trip:

There shouldn’t be any reason for you not to bring your own food.
Healthy and inexpensive snacks such as granola bars, nuts, etc. could
help you steer away from junk food which you would have to buy in the
first place.

If you can get a hotel room with a microwave/refrigerator or a
kicthen, then all the better. Instead of ordering take-out or eating
out, you can simply buy fresh ingredients and cook them in your hotel
room.

Don’t forget to drink plenty of water. Alcohol should be kept to a
minimum and soda should be a no-no. If you’re in doubt about tap
water, then buy bottled water, or bring water purifier in tablet form.

If you’re in a business lunch or dinner, opt for the healthier
choices. Chow down on salads and grilled foods. If you can skip
dessert, all the better. If not, then choose fruit slices etc.

Here are some tips on how to be better managers:

Be good teachers. Instead, of yelling or getting irritated the whole
day, be a little more patient. Instead of telling your people what to
do, it would be better focus on how to do it. By teaching skills
necessary to finish tasks, you are actually teaching them to be more
independent when they do their work. Arrange for your team to do cross
training so that all of them can do multiple tasks when others are
won’t be able to come to work.

Be just and fair. Try to be more emphatizing and considerate when it
comes to addressing the needs of employees. However, bear in mind that
you also need to be firm if need be. Be consistent in your decision so
before you pass judgment, make sure you have made the proper
investigation and you have all the facts straight.

Be a listener and be humble. The last thing employees need are
managers who don’t want to hear what they want to say, making them
feel un-needed in turn. Managers who feel high-and-mighty and think
that their employees are beneath them will not actually get the
respect they want.

Here are some tips on how to be more productive when doing work-at-home:

You don’t have to have a whole room as your office, but at least make
sure that you allot a space as your office space. This will help you
keep focused on the tasks at hand. Have there a desk, telephone,
clock, calendar, and storage space for your files.

Establish a daily schedule. Whatever hours you allot for work, should
just be maintained for work. Do not do anything else within those
assigned hours. Don’t forget to incorporate official breaks as well.

Ask the help of your family members and friends. Being at home does
not mean you can be disturbed for anything. Tell them that you will be
strictly enforcing your schedule and interruptions would not be
tolerated.

Here are some tips or factors to consider if you are trying to switch
to a paperless office:

Make sure that you have enough resources and space for back-up of
data. Remember that you might need to scan and keep digital copies of
files so you need to have enough space to store them in your hard
drive. You should also consider the type of document you will be
saving in digital format. They might be difficult to manipulate later
on post-scanning. Make sure that you research other options of going
digital. There are still some documents that you may need to keep so
make sure you still count them when you decide to do some archiving.

Make sure that you have enough support from the people in the office.
Employees should be informed accordingly. Train people as needed,
especially as there would surely be changes is how tasks are
performed.

Communicate externally as well. The people or institutions you often
do transactions with should also be informed of the change in your
office. If they can accomodate your requests of using digital copies
of documents, then all the better. But be understanding if they could
not.