For many, the answer to this question is definitely YES! How many mornings do you sit down at your desk, start reading and responding to emails, then look up to realize that half the day is over? It’s easy to get caught up in conversational emails and tough to step away, sometimes, to do the actual work.
Email is meant to be an efficient method of communication, but for many it has turned out to be the one thing that keeps them from being productive. Like many other things in our lives, it’s important to set boundaries with email, and return it to what it was originally intended for.
Here are three simple rules to follow to keep email from becoming your full time job:
- Establish a schedule to check your email, and then close the program. Set a timer for 15-20 minutes, then move on to actual work for 40-45 minutes, then go back to email, and so on.
- Create a priority sender list and handle those emails first. Also, don’t be afraid of unsubscribing to emails that are no longer relevant to you. Bonus tip: If you send out marketing emails, NEVER look at who unsubscribes; your empathy could be keeping your inbox cluttered.
- Only keep emails in your inbox that require action and delete or file them once handled. This will allow you to look towards a goal of a zero-email inbox.
Email is truly an effective way to communicate and document that communication. Be aware of the “do unto others as you would have done unto you” theory, and be concise and clear in your emails. Better yet, pick up the phone occasionally, and take care of something in a matter of minutes rather than sending too many emails.