Are you drowning in emails? Does your phone, tablet and smartwatch drive you mad with constant new arrivals in your inbox?
There are simple ways to get on top of your inbox and get your emails functioning like a well-oiled machine..
Say goodbye to email burnout and the ongoing brain drain of email management, and hello to an inbox that runs like a dream.
Here’s our tips for managing your emails so you never feel overwhelmed again.
Set up a distraction-free zone
Remove any pings or pop-ups for your emails so that when you are working you don’t have the temptation to check your email every time one drops into your inbox. Where possible turn your phone on flight mode when you are trying to get things done, so you avoid checking your emails and interrupting your task.
Create ‘email time’ each day
Yep, you heard it right – only email at specific times during your workday. This might include 9am to 10am, 1pm to 1:30pm and 3:00pm to 3:30pm each day. If you set imitations for when you will be checking your emails you won’t believe how your productivity will soar.
Delegate emails
Often we have a ton of emails waiting for delegation – if you can a few seconds to forward these emails, you can say ‘bye-bye’ to them in your inbox. Have a quick scroll and sort out and delegate or cc a colleague who might be able to assist.
Set expectations for your emails
Don’t be a slave to the email, let it work for you. If you respond to every email with minutes, you’re making a rod for your own back. Focus on responding within realistic time frames and if you don’t have time simply flag the email and respond the next time you have scheduled in your designated emailing time.
Get sorted with folders
Once you’ve set up some folders, you can start dragging and dropping emails from your inbox into dedicated areas for future use. Make sure you delete or archive emails that you know you don’t need and free up some space.
Be ruthless with your unsubscribes
If you counted how many unnecessary emails you receive each week you could be in the tens or even hundreds. Spend an hour unsubscribing to emails that you’re not interested in or change the email to a personal one rather than your work email.
Be specific with your email subjects
Avoid the generic subjects in your emails so that when the time comes to get your inbox in tip-top shape you can check an email at a glance and know what it’s about.
A couple of emails in your inbox can avalanche into a massive snowball quickly, practising a few of the tips above might allow you to see the wood from the trees in your inbox and get your email management chugging along nicely.
The post Get on top of your email appeared first on Habitat.
New Zealand
Australia
Japan
Hong Kong