How to Organize Emails – Email Management Tips
You probably spend too much time in your email inbox. So many people have cluttered inboxes, are spending hours of their day answering emails, and have a sense of dread when they think about opening their inbox. I want you to know that it does not have to be this way!
Your email is actually a super powerful tool. In this past post, I even describe it as your personal assistant. But too many of us get lost in our emails and end up wishing we could just get rid of email altogether. It is time to gain back control of your inbox, time, and productivity. Your email is a tool to help you get your work done; it should not be the work itself.
Are you ready to get ahold of your inbox? Great. Read on for 9 email organization techniques that have transformed my own email management skills, drawn partially from an article on Lifehack.
1) Set Limits On Your Email Usage
It is not enough to simply say you’ll “check your email less.” The reality is, you need some clear goals and limits. Start with a firm boundary for how many times a day you will process your emails. I recommend processing emails once a day. Then, on top of that once-a-day limit, you also need a time limit so your once-a-day check doesn’t take up hours of your time. Set a 30-60 minute (or less!) limit. Reply to as many as possible within those limits, and then simply pick up tomorrow where you left off.
2) Use Folder and Labels
Organization is KEY to maximizing productivity and reducing the amount of time you spend in your inbox. You can use folders and sub-folders to organize emails by similar content, category, project, or importance. Label emails with colors or other markers to clue you into possible importance or priority. You could label emails from your supervisor with one color, high-priority clients with another, and emails you are cc’d on with another. This will help you visually determine importance when you go into your inbox!
3) Realize You DON’T Need to Respond to Every Email
I know, that sounds crazy. But, really, you don’t need to respond to everything. You need to prioritize your time, and that means only responding to emails if they are pushing your goals forward, are from important people in your life or work, and are relevant to what you do and want. Everything else is secondary and can either be responded to at a later time (if you get extra time) or not at all.
4) Utilize Template Replies
Do you find yourself responding to the same kinds of emails or requests over and over again? If so, it might be worth creating a template that can be copy-pasted and sent with little to no modification for those emails that seem to come up time and time again. This will help reduce the time you spend answering emails!
5) Follow the 1-Minute Rule
In general, if you get an email that can be responded to in less than 1 minute and is relevant to you (see point 3)–just do it. Respond right away and then archive it. Even if it is not at the top of the list of importance, responding to these emails quickly is worth it to free up the mental space and energy you’d use later thinking about them and remembering to respond.
6) Unsubscribe from Everything
I get it, most of us have over-subscribed to emails, updates, newsletters, and deals over the years. But truth be told, most of those emails get left unread or immediately deleted. It is time to go through and commit to unsubscribing from everything that is no longer serving you.
7) Only Open Your Email When You Truly Have Time For It
Do you check your emails when you don’t really have time to read and respond to them? A lot of us are guilty of this! We check emails in line for coffee, in the elevator, between steps while cooking dinner. But when we do this, we often have to reread the email later. This is a waste of precious time! To become more efficient and spend less time processing emails, only check your inbox when you REALLY have the time to sit down, read, and engage.
8) Use our Email Agility Circle
In a past post, I shared my 4-part email agility circle. It has been designed to make you more efficient at email management. The 4 parts are: Read, Decide, Act, and Contain. Understanding these steps can help cut down the time you spend on email.
9) Turn Off New Email Notifications
Finally, to stick to your email checking boundaries, you need to turn off your “new email” notifications. Doing this will keep emails out of sight, and thus, out of mind until you are ready to check your inbox. Remember, you are in control of your email, not the other way around.
If you read these tips and still feel like you need help leveraging your email management skills to increase productivity and effectiveness at work, I offer an Email Management Training Course that can help you (or your whole team) increase your email management. I’d love to work with you!
The post How to Organize Emails – Email Management Tips appeared first on Working Simply.
