5 Tips to Manage Your Inbox
Ever feel like you need a snow plow to dig outta your Inbox?
It's THE WORST, right? So many biz friends tell me that of all the things (and you know there are like, a million) email is basically the bane of their existence.
Why? Because it can easily cannibalize your day. Think about it: how many times have you looked up to realize the day is half over and you're *still* just checking email? All the time, right? Ferk.
Here's my biggest beef with the email hamster wheel -- it's just that: a hamster wheel. Emailing makes us feel like we're being productive when if we're really honest, it's almost always keeping us busy (and you know how I feel about "busy.") Okay, yes, email is necessary but it's typically not meaningful work that drives growth in our biz.
In other words: email adds to our overwhelm.
That sucks. But it's also fixable! Hear me now believe me later: implement just ONE of these five tips and I promise you'll immediately start saving time on email (while still being a responsive, on-your-game queen bee). So. Let's create some email boundaries, shall we?
1. BATCH YOUR EMAIL TIME
Instead of answering email throughout the day as it comes through, set aside 1-3 chunks of time each day dedicated to your Inbox. So say you have 1 hour of email in the morning and 1 hour of email in the afternoon and then THAT'S IT. No exceptions. (side note: I have a friend who's extra ballsy and only checks email 3 times a week! my hero)
2. PUT A SIGNATURE / AUTO RESPONDER ON THAT BIOTCH
Okay, so if you're doing tip #1 then another super smart thing to do is add in your email signature a note about when you check your Inbox. This sets the expectation for whoever is contacting you when they might get a response. Eg: Heads up! This email is checked from 8-9am CST and 3-4pm CST.
I did this waaaay back when I was an event planner and I truly COULD NOT with brides emailing 20 times a day.
---> In addition / alternatively: you can set-up an auto responder that gives the same info. The nice thing about this trick is it gives you the peace of mind that the contact has gotten an immediate response, even if it's simply telling them you'll get back to them later.
3. TEMPLATES, TEMPLATES, TEMPLATES
Does your Inbox feel like Groundhog's Day sometimes? Find yourself fielding the same questions / writing the same info again, and again, and again? Every email provider has a function to create a template (in Gmail it's called a 'canned response') so take advantage, boo! Create templates for your most frequently written emails then quickly personalize them when responding. BOOM. Time saved!
4. DON'T CHECK EMAIL AT THE START OF YOUR DAY
Say whaaaaat?! Yep. Ya heard. When we start our day checking email it puts us into reactive mode. Checking email first thing takes away our control to direct time / energy / resources for the day and instead makes us react to what other's want of us. And then we're sucked in. Don't fall into the trap!
5. PICK UP THE DAMN PHONE
Sorry, I don't mean to cuss at you but seriously. If you're writing an email that's a) more than 1-2 paragraphs long or b) going to be part of an email chain with more volleys than Wimbledon STOP. Pick up the phone. That long ass email or chain that could take up an hour or more of your time? Probably only be like a 10 minute phone call. Swear.