Email overload
We all experienced email overload at some time or other – maybe even daily. Too much email will definitely slow down productivity. It can make you feel overwhelmed and even suppress your work day. If you feel like you have fallen into the email trap, here are some tips to conquer your email overload.
Turn off Email Notifications
Email notifications will drive you insane if you let them. If you own a smartphone and it serves as your constant reminder that you have a new email, then it could possibly be slowing down your progress on big projects, especially if you are checking it every time your phone buzzes or rings a melodic tone indicating your new message has arrived. Some computers have an email notification in the corner of the screen alerting you about new messages. You should turn off the notifications. You do not need to know every time an email had arrived in your inbox. You do not need to check it every time, either. You will find that the time you were using to check your email was wasted time and it could have been used toward more productive work.
Make an Action
You have to make a choice and do something. You should decide which emails need to be tackled first. Those that do not need to be addressed right away should be flagged for follow up. Once you have made one of those actions, delete the unnecessary. Yes, that’s right – delete. If you have read the email and made an action on it, you can move on a whole lot faster than trying to handle every email as they come.
There are many online tools and resources to help you prioritize your email to get those of importance closer to the top of your inbox. Today, most email software provides filters to help you separate your email into specific groups according to how you want to tackle it. They even have the capability to forward emails with certain keywords to an assistant, or provide a general automated response. Nevertheless, use filters. This will help you to get to your most important emails quicker. By proactively making an action, you are encouraging more productivity.
[wpob id=”2″]
Schedule Time for Email
Now that you have placed all of these controls for your inbox, you need to schedule times during the day for checking emails. You should give yourself thirty minute intervals for email checks. This will give you time to handle necessary actions regarding important emails versus those that do not require immediate attention. It will, also, kill the overwhelming feeling of email overload. Depending on what type of work you do will determine how your email schedule will need to be planned out. This will be challenging at first. Once you make this a regular practice, you will be surprised how much work you begin to complete.
Are you experiencing email overload? Let me show you how to conquer your email overload. Check out these resources more guidance.
