Email has become one of the most powerful and inevitable communication tools in our personal and professional lives. However, the constant incoming messages can get overwhelming, and suddenly, you feel like you are drowning in the unopened messages in your inbox.
I get hundreds of emails per day and am not overwhelmed by email. But that’s me. 🙂 A prompt by Erica Dhawan got me thinking about this even more. In this article, we will explore different tips and tricks that you can implement to keep your email inbox tidy and stress-free.
Here are a few things you can do:
Batch designated times to check your email each day
One of the easiest ways to keep your inbox organized is to designate specific times each day to check your email. This way, you’re not constantly being distracted by new messages throughout the day. Try setting aside three or four times a day to go through your inbox. This strategy will give you a sense of control over your inbox, and you’ll spend less time checking it throughout the day.
Set up filters or rules to automatically sort your incoming messages
Filters are an effective way to organize your emails automatically. You can create filters that will label, move, or delete messages based on specific criteria such as the sender’s name, subject line, or the email body. This ensures that your inbox remains clean and eliminates the need to go through each email manually. The key is to create filters to cover most scenarios so that the automated system takes care of the bulk of your inbox management.
Every email that comes to me and has the word “unsubscribe in it” I automatically filter to an email newsletter folder and read it later on.
Unsubscribe from those mailing lists that no longer serve you
Mailing lists can be a great benefit, but it’s essential to be selective with which ones you subscribe to. Evaluate the mailing lists you are subscribed to regularly and remove those that no longer benefit you. This way, you’ll be less likely to miss important emails, and your inbox will be less cluttered.
Delegate quickly
If you receive an email that someone on your team can handle, delegate it immediately. Delegating decisions allows you and your team to work more efficiently, and it keeps your inbox less cluttered. This means that when you’re in your designated email checking time, you can focus on the emails that require your attention.
Related: Delegate More and Get More Time Back
Manually sort emails that can be read or taken care of later
Manual sorting is an excellent method for keeping your inbox organized. You can use labels like “read later,” “important,” or “needs response.” Sorting your emails manually pairs with automated filtering strategies to ensure that your inbox stays tidy and manageable.
In conclusion, these tips and tricks should make the process of managing your inbox easier. By grouping emails, prioritizing the important ones, and limiting the number of times you check your inbox each day, you can reduce the amount of time you spend on email, be more productive, and give yourself one less thing to worry about. These tips won’t do the work for you, but they will help you develop and maintain good email habits, allowing you to stay organized and focused on the more important things in your business.
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