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There are LOTS of ways that we waste precious time every day. In this resource, I am going to share with you just one small way that you can gain back 15-30 minutes each day which can really add up over the course of an entire week or month.
Manage Your Inbox to Reclaim Lost Time
Let's look at some small changes that you can implement right away that will save you lots of time in the long run. After all, it's the little things that add up.
We'll start by taking a look at your inbox which is a huge time waster for most managers.
Reflect on the questions below...
How much time on average would you say that you spend checking, sorting and responding to emails?
When a new email comes in, do you shift your attention from the task at hand to go read it?
Do you check your emails all day long or only at certain times of the day?
How many times would you say you click on one email before it is either filed, actioned or deleted for good?
Email best practices....let's talk about those.
For most managers, working through their inboxes takes up a huge part of their day. An average professional receives between 100-150 emails every day. Email management takes up about 1/3 of the workweek.
There is a lot of stress that is tied to email management and an overflowing inbox. It can be quite subtle and we don't immediately notice it. Maybe that's because it is always there and we have learned to live with it.
Below are some best practice to implement straight away to gain back some of that time you have been devoting to your inbox.
Have dedicated blocks of time
Have small dedicated times throughout your day that you spend managing your inbox. Enter those into your calendar and stick to them.
Touch every email only once
Every email should only be touched once. When the email is open in front of you, decide whether to file it, delete it or extract the action items for your TO DO list.
Don't get sucked in by your inbox
Don't get pulled away from deep work every time an email comes in. Turn off email notifications and reopen your inbox only during those dedicated times that you set in your calendar.
Guard your time
Remind yourself that an email is never that urgent that it needs to get responded to immediately. If something is pressingly urgent, it is very likely that you will get a phone call about it.
Create a “waiting folder”
Create a “waiting folder” for emails that require action from someone else before you can respond. This is a huge time-saver. Source: https://www.themuse.com/advice/managing-inbox-tips-real-people-get-hundreds-emails
Leverage your calendar
Use your calendar to track emails that require follow-up. Some emails might need more than a simple reply. Perhaps they generate a work item that needs to be followed-up on at a later date. Add those items to your calendar as a reminder. Source: https://www.themuse.com/advice/managing-inbox-tips-real-people-get-hundreds-emails
Next Steps
Organize . . .
Create labels, tags and folders in your email client so that you are ready to file away any emails you need to hang on to.
Filters . . .
Set up filters to help manage all incoming emails. Filters will help keep your inbox that much more organized.
Unsubscribe indiscriminately . . .
We are prone to subscribe to lots of promotional mailing lists that we never have time to read. Be ruthless about unsubscribing from anything that is creating clutter in your inbox.
Use canned responses . . .
If you are constantly using the same formulation to respond to the same type of email over and over, why not prepare a canned response that you can just send off with the click of a button?
What has inspired you from this lesson? How are you going to move forward and begin implementing some of these tips to gain back valuable time?
Download the infographic below and keep it handy for reference.
Email Management Infographic
Ready to learn more ways to better manage your time?
Managing your inbox is just one way to reclaim some lost time. In my program, The Masterful Manager: Reclaim, Manage, and Own Your Time, I teach my clients a host of other tools and techniques that they can put in place immediately.
The Masterful Manager:
Reclaim, Manage, and Own Your Time