8 ways to reduce email overload
A series on time management by ‘Time Queen’ Robyn Pearce.
When I ask workshop participants about their biggest time challenges, email is almost always in the top five. Most people understand, at least intellectually, that a tidy desk equals an uncluttered mind and the ability to focus with more clarity. However, a surprising number don’t realise that the same thing applies to our email Inbox. I’ve seen Inboxes with thousands of messages – no wonder their owners feel terribly overwhelmed!
Here are eight quick tips to get back some control: 1. Don’t do email first thing in the day. Most workers think that by clearing email they’re checking the work for the day. Of course there are some roles or industries where this would be the wrong advice, but most of us will not jeopardise our responsibilities by delaying for an hour or so before opening our Inbox.
Trouble is, email is both seductive and addictive. Our Inbox is not a planning tool. Instead, it’s both a source of information and a distraction device.
With few exceptions, people who check mail first thing get sideswiped on their predetermined priorities by the seeming urgency of what has bounced into the Inbox overnight. And others, driven by the worthy desire to keep their Inbox under control, get sucked into dealing with low-level requests and tasks while other far more valuable priorities wait. Here’s my suggestion for your morning routine: a) First quickly review your priorities of the day in your calendar or diary. If it currently opens at your Inbox, reconfigure your system to open in Calendar. Or, if going anywhere near email will suck you in, print off your upcoming schedule before you leave work the night before. Or, use your smartphone calendar if it’s synchronised – the functions are in different locations so you’re less likely to be tempted down the path of ‘who loves me today’ emails. b) Unless you’ve got a prior commitment, spend an hour or so of dedicated time on your top one or two priorities. c) Once you’ve had your first focused 60-90 minutes, take a break and check email.
If it is important that you know what’s in your Inbox before you start the day, for peace of mind what about a quick check of email on your smartphone, maybe before you leave home? Most of us won’t be tempted to go into depth on that small screen – it’s slower.
2. Turn off the alert. It’s a distraction and very few people really need to know that a new mail has arrived. Knowledge workers lose about 28 percent of their working day due to distractions. 3. Chunk three or four blocks of time during the day to work on emails and stop constantly checking. Close the programme if necessary. If the sky is falling in, Chicken Licken will tell you.
4. Subject lines are critical. Not only should they be very specific and relevant, but also, if you begin with the action you want the recipient to take, you’ll get a better response. Try these: • ACTION REQUIRED (and then the
required action). • RESPONSE REQUESTED. • READ ONLY. • FYI. 5. Treat your email system like a filing
cabinet. Set up folders for your major topics of interest, and subfolders under key headings if it’s a complex topic. 6. Use Rules or Advanced Rules for any regular correspondents or topics. They file your mail automatically as it arrives. (Tip: start your email session with Unread Mail instead of Inbox and you’ll never miss anything, no matter how deep in the subfolder structure your mail has been directed to. (More details at www.gettingagrip.com /how-tokeep-your-inbox-empty/ ) 7. Be prepared to shift mail of longterm interest to folders unread, and schedule in reading time. One could be entitled ‘Newsletters to read’, and another one called ‘Web research to do’. Saves you getting distracted and you can do your ‘further education’ at a less busy time. 8. Something you mustn’t forget, and you’re scared you’ll lose sight of it if shifted to an ‘Action Pending’ file? Apart from shifting it to Tasks (and many find Outlook Tasks somewhat clunky and non-intuitive), you could treat it as an appointment. Click and Drag it to the date in your Calendar that you need to start the activity.
You’ll get value from these tips only if you do them consistently. In the beginning this may be difficult, but over time, you’ll begin to feel less stressed by your email deluge.
›› Robyn Pearce is MD of Getting A Grip. com, an international time management and productivity company. For your free report ‘ How To Master Time In Only
90 Seconds’ and ongoing time tips, visit
www.gettingagrip.com