My Breakthrough
For decades I have had difficulty managing emails in my inbox. As recently as four months ago I had between 300-500 emails in my inbox needing attention. Some emails would not get my attention for several weeks. Today I have 70-160 emails in my inbox and I respond within 2-3 business (for the most part) days to all my emails. Here are the eight principles that have turned my inbox stress around.
1. Touch something only once. This is a best business practice in many domains that will immediately increase your productivity by 10-30%. Do or touch something only once and do it right the first time. I look at every email once and act on it at that time. To do this, I sort my inbox so the most recent are at the top. I set my emails so I can see the first few lines without opening an email. I scan the most recent emails at the top to see if there is anything that is urgent. If an email is critical and urgent I will respond immediately. I then go to the bottom of my inbox and work my way up. Knowing there are emails needing my attention motivates me to aggressively work my way up. If I need an email for further reference after acting on it, I will file it in a folder. Otherwise it is deleted. Benefit: Because I respond to emails in 2-3 business days, I do not get stuck in a petty email conversations that are a tremendous time suck.
2. Don’t buy into the zero inbox philosophy. This makes your inbox your master. Sorry Steve B. Benefit: You determine your priorities each day rather than responding to other’s priorities.
3. Never start your day with emails. This is another proven best practice. I look at my inbox only after I’ve accomplished several hours of meaningful work. I spend 15-30 minutes late morning and 45-60 minutes at the end of my day to attack emails from oldest to most recent. Benefit: Because my brain is in a flow, I am efficient in working through numerous emails.
5. Train your colleagues and partners to text you if something is urgent. People that work with me know that if they need a response within several business days they should text me to notify me that there is a key email awaiting my attention. Benefit: People adjust and learn to give you reasonable response times.
4. Don’t look at your emails in the evenings or on weekends. This signals that you are not always “email-available.” People learn your patterns and will not expect responses from you in off-hours. Benefit: You create separation in your personal and professional life.
6. Don’t respond to a newer email until the older ones are addressed (unless someone has texted you about a time-sensitive email). Some emails require 1-2 hours of work. When I hit those, I try to address it that day or schedule it into the next day. Benefit: I am motivated to tackle tougher emails because I know I need to get to the newer emails as quickly as possible.
7. Use voice to text. I am a big fan of Dragon Dictate even though it is quirky on a Mac. It pays for itself within a month. Benefit: You are 50-100% faster at speaking than typing.
8. Unsubscribe. I subscribe to a variety of emails to stay informed as well as learn new skills. If after 6-8 emails I have not benefited I will unsubscribe. Benefit: You curate your inbox with content that really matters.
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Clyde, this is all really good advice that you don’t hear in the usually inbox blogs. Thanks for taking the time to share your lessons learned with us.
You are welcome Chuck!
That’s some good advice right there
Shukran habibi!
Very helpful. Thank you.
You are welcome!