Christa Wagner

For a change, we are not talking about your paper inbox, but rather your email inbox. The average employee gets far more email than he or she can cope with, and an increasing number of people suffer from “email overload.” People are even declaring email bankruptcy and deleting all their email at once, but that doesn’t really solve the problem since more emails just keep pouring in.

I’ve mentioned before that email is a challenge for me. As an organizer, it feels like something I should have a better handle on, but as a business owner it’s overwhelming to me knowing most emails require action. I recently attended a fantastic “Detox Your InBox” Teleclass offered by another organizer. Here are some tips I have embraced to manage my inbox:

1. Dedicate a specific time for email: Now I know this is a touchy subject, but the facts are the facts and productivity is greatly decreased by email because we are dealing with constant distractions. Email creates a reactionary work environment and you can greatly increase your effectiveness if you set aside specific times each day. Additionally, when you only respond at certain times it sets a precedent that you are not just sitting at your desk waiting to deal with someone’s email.
2. Avoid opening email first thing in the morning. Now again, I am sure this is giving some people heart palpitations, and I am not suggesting waiting until noon. By postponing your email, you can dedicate this high-energy morning time to a task that adds value to your day and brings you closer to your goals. Opening email is a can of worms and you may never get to the higher priorities on your to-do list.
3. Use rules to manage and prioritize emails: Several email programs filter emails directly into folders, allowing you to read them when time permits.
4. Aim for inbox zero: This was a new term for me, coined by Merlin Mann of www.43folders.com, but it has really helped. I now make decisions on my email as I am reading them. Do your best to delete emails you don’t need, delegate anything possible, decide when you are going to complete a task and enter it into your calendar or task list, or do it now if time permits and it’s a priority. At the end of the day, I don’t have zero emails, but I do have about 10. That I can live with!
5. Turn off chimes: It annoyed me so much to be distracted by the chime when a new email arrived in my inbox. Did you know you can turn that off? It’s a great thing.

Email is a great tool that can help you communicate easily, but there is no question, it’s out of control. I read the book 4-Hour Workweek and Timothy Ferriss states: “Something that requires a lot of time does not necessarily make that task important.” Consider how much time you are spending on email and how it is contributing to your overall success. Be honest.

I know some will agree and disagree; please let us know your thoughts or if any email management tools have worked well for you.

Tags: email abuse, Email addiction, email overload, Email tips, Managing Email

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 2nd, 2008 at 3:02 pm and is filed under Business Organizing, Email, Time Saving Tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.