How to Better Manage Your Emails and Increase Efficiency
In today’s fast-paced world, email has become an indispensable tool for communication in both personal and professional settings. For all of its usefulness, however, email can also become a source of frustration, and managing a packed inbox can get overwhelming.
But don’t fret! With some simple adjustments to your email habits, you can streamline the process and become more efficient in all areas of your life. 1.
Respond Promptly
Let’s start with the obvious: responding to emails promptly is key to good email management. Begin by setting aside set blocks of time each day to focus solely on email, making sure to respond to as many as possible in that time frame.
If an email requires a longer response or requires more research, take a moment to acknowledge receipt to let the sender know you received their message and will get back to them shortly. Pro Tip: Set a goal for yourself to decrease the time between receiving an email and crafting a response.
Eric Schmidt, former CEO of Google, suggests a maximum wait time of 24 hours to respond to an email. 2.
Make Email Fun
Managing emails can be a tedious task, but there are small things you can do to make inbox clearing more enjoyable. For example, create an inbox clearing party where you play music and find a workspace, which encourages you to power-through a backlog of emails.
Alternatively, you can create visual rewards for yourself, such as a piece of candy, every time you answer a certain number of emails. 3.
Schedule “No Email” Time
Make sure to set aside time every day to do something that is not email-related. During this time, do not check email or switch between different tasks.
This “no email” time allows you to recharge and avoid burnout. Pro Tip: Schedule your “no email” time at the same time each day, such as the start or the end of the workday, to create a consistent routine.
4. Use Email To Get Organized
A to-do list can help you stay organized, and your email inbox can be a handy tool to create one.
Start by flagging or starring important emails that require action. Then, make a separate folder for each project and move related emails and documents into that folder.
This allows you to quickly find the information you need without sifting through a cluttered inbox. Pro Tip: Take it one step further and use tools such as Microsoft To-Do or Trello to manage your tasks and projects alongside your email.
5. Get A Head Start in The Morning
Starting the day off by prioritizing outstanding emails can make a world of difference in how much you can accomplish that day.
Begin your day by answering the emails that need a quick response or require action from you. This creates a sense of accomplishment and momentum.
Pro Tip: You can also use filters to organize your inbox so that important emails are listed first. In conclusion, managing your email can be a challenging task, but with some simple tweaks such as responding promptly, adding some fun, ensuring no email time, utilizing email to organize, and starting your day with outstanding emails puts you in control.
By taking control of your inbox, you can increase productivity and create a better workday. When it comes to managing email and maintaining a healthy work-life balance, a few prominent figures have weighed in with their advice.
From Randi Zuckerberg’s suggestion of having an inbox clearing party to Barack Obama’s dedication to personal time, there is no shortage of tips and tricks to help you stay on top of your workload while ensuring that you make time for yourself. 3.
Have an Inbox Clearing Party
As the former Director of Marketing at Facebook, Randi Zuckerberg knows a thing or two about managing technology and staying productive. Her advice when it comes to managing email?
Throw an inbox clearing party!
The concept is simple: set aside a block of time to power through your emails, but instead of doing it alone, invite some friends over. You can all work on your respective inboxes while chatting and snacking.
The social aspect of the inbox clearing party can make the task feel less like a chore and more like a fun activity. Pro Tip: To make it even more exciting, consider adding some games or challenges to encourage everyone to stay focused and finish as many emails as possible.
4. Personal Time is Sacred
As the former President of the United States, Barack Obama knows a thing or two about managing a busy schedule.
During his time in office, he was known for his strict daily routine and dedication to personal time. One of Obama’s secrets to success was carving out time each day for activities that were important to him, such as exercising, reading, and spending time with his family.
He famously once said, “If you’re walking down the right path and you’re willing to keep walking, eventually you’ll make progress.”
Pro Tip: Take a cue from Obama’s book and schedule personal time into your day, whether it’s going for a walk or spending time with loved ones. Treat this time like any other appointment and stick to it, no matter what.
In addition to these tips, there are several other strategies that can help you manage your email and stay productive. Here are a few additional suggestions to consider:
– Unsubscribe from newsletters and other email lists that you no longer find useful or interesting.
This will help reduce clutter in your inbox and make it easier to focus on important messages. – Use filters and labels to automatically sort your incoming emails into different categories, such as work, personal, and marketing.
This will help you prioritize your messages and ensure that you don’t miss anything important. – Consider using an email management tool such as Boomerang or SaneBox to help you schedule emails and stay on top of your inbox.
These tools can also help you write better emails and track responses. In conclusion, managing your email and finding time for yourself may feel like a never-ending battle, but with the right tools and strategies, it’s possible to succeed.
Whether you choose to have an inbox clearing party like Randi Zuckerberg or dedicate personal time like Barack Obama, the key is to find a routine that works for you and stick to it. By taking control of your inbox and your schedule, you can increase productivity, reduce stress, and make the most of every day.
When it comes to managing email, everyone has their own unique approach based on their experiences and preferences. Alexa von Tobel and Tim Armstrong and Jayne-Anne Gadhia have shared their advice on how email can help you get organized and their routine of starting off the day with answering emails, respectively.
Here are some more tips to help you manage your email like a pro:
5. Use Email to Get Organized
As the founder and CEO of LearnVest, a financial planning website, Alexa von Tobel understands the importance of staying organized.
One of her strategies for staying on top of her workload is to use email to create a to-do list. Instead of relying on a separate task management app, she flags or labels emails that require action and keeps them in her inbox until they are complete.
This allows her to use her email as a central hub for both communication and task management. Pro Tip: You can further organize your to-do list by creating different folders or labels to categorize your emails based on the project or task they are related to.
6. Start off the Day Getting Through Emails
Tim Armstrong, the former CEO of AOL, and Jayne-Anne Gadhia, the former CEO of Virgin Money, both swear by starting the day with a round of email responses.
For them, clearing the inbox first thing in the morning creates a sense of accomplishment and momentum that sets the tone for the rest of the day. Both Armstrong and Gadhia use the morning to address any critical emails and flag emails that require action throughout the day.
Once they’ve addressed the highest-priority messages, they move on to other tasks, but continue to cycle back to their inbox at regular intervals throughout the day. Pro Tip: To make your morning routine more efficient, consider using keyboard shortcuts to navigate your inbox and respond to messages more quickly.
In addition to these strategies, there are several other tactics you can try to help you manage your email more effectively. Here are a few additional suggestions to consider:
– Limit the number of times you check email each day.
Constantly checking your inbox can interrupt your flow and decrease your productivity. Instead, set aside specific times of day to check and respond to emails.
– Use templates to save time when drafting responses to common inquiries. You can create templates for things like scheduling a meeting, providing feedback, or responding to a sales pitch.
– Invest in a good spam filter to help reduce the number of unwanted emails you receive. This will help reduce clutter in your inbox and make it easier to focus on important messages.
In conclusion, managing email is an ongoing process, and it takes trial and error to find the methods that work best for your individual needs. Whether you take a cue from Alexa von Tobel and use your email as a to-do list or adopt Tim Armstrong and Jayne-Anne Gadhia’s routine of clearing your inbox first thing in the morning, the key is to find a strategy that works for you and stick with it.
By effectively managing your email, you can increase your productivity, reduce your stress, and make the most of every day. In conclusion, managing email is a critical part of today’s digital life.
Responding promptly, having an inbox clearing party, scheduling “no email” time, using email to get organized, and starting off the day getting through emails are essential tips from prominent figures and email experts to maximize your productivity and balance work-life demands. Additionally, strategies like setting aside personal time, unsubscribing from unnecessary lists, and using filters or templates can help you manage the email load better.
By taking charge of your inbox and routines, you can become more efficient and reduce stress, increasing your overall well-being. Remember, finding an email management technique that works for you may take time, but the results are valuable.
The key is to find a balance between using emails productively and not letting them control your life.