Feeling a little anxious over how many emails are currently sitting in your inbox? You are most definitely not alone. Between work emails, Pottery Barn sale announcements, and Facebook notifications my inbox constantly fills up. Having a completely empty inbox isn’t realistic for most people but you should strive to have an inbox that feels manageable. Here are seven easy ways to take control of your email inbox.
Tip #1: Build in time every week to do a reset
An overflowing inbox takes up crucial brain space and makes you feel like you have more work to do. Set aside a time each week to finish processing emails you have not gotten to. I carve out 30 minutes every Sunday night for a reset which helps me to confidently start the work week.
Tip #2: Limit how many times you check your email each day
Don’t read and answer your emails throughout the day. This can be a huge attention disrupter. To make this easier, disable notifications that let you know when you have an email. Designating set times to look at your inbox will help you stay on top of messages and make it easier to focus on other tasks throughout the day. I do a check in four times a day and I actually set a timer to make sure I don’t get lost in responding.
Tip #3: Use the two minute or less rule to take action
I take immediate action on any email that can be handled in two minutes or less. I like to reply to “easy” emails, like confirming an appt or rsvping to an invite I know I can’t attend, right away. I save emails that require a more involved response for the end of the day or during my weekend reset time. I mark them as unread so I know I have to later respond.
Tip #4: Use folders
Emails I am not responding to get sorted into folders. Some people like action folders but I prefer folders based on relevant categories. I find broad folders are more effective than lots of micro-categories. Under “home” I have categories like home improvement, kids, gift ideas, tax information. Under “work’, I have categories like design inspo, client follow ups or website information.
Tip #5: Unsubscribe from everything you don’t need
Bloggers I no longer follow or stores I no longer shop at do not need to be clogging up my inbox. Instead of deleting them every single time, I unsubscribe from everything that’s no longer relevant to me and use unrollme to group emails I don’t need to see on a regular basis.
Tip #6: Keep emails short or don’t reply at all
I have trained myself not to respond to emails that don’t require a response. Also, the way you write your emails can influence the emails you receive. According to experts, long emails beget long emails.
Tip #7: Try out the yesterbox method
This is an idea started by a former CEO of Zappos. You start each day by dealing with yesterday’s emails. Any emails that come in today (unless urgent) are off limits until yesterday’s important emails have been dealt with. Each day’s task is to work through yesterday’s inbox.
It really is that simple: if you don’t need it, delete it. Leaving unnecessary emails in your inbox wastes both physical and mental space. Go through and delete!