Seeing my inbox full is one of the most contradictory things I experience daily. On the one hand, it is a sign I am about to have a productive day filled with tons of communication. On the other hand, it means I have to go through dozens of emails and reply to almost all of them.
Today, I’m tackling the question of a full inbox — what are the best ways to declutter it and deal with every single email?
First: the obvious
Set time aside
For a CEO or a manager, responding to emails is as much a task as anything else. That is why it is most appropriate to set some time in one’s schedule to pay extra attention to Inbox. Marking this time as ‘busy’ on a calendar and putting all other apps in silent mode will add an extra layer of concentration — something that, at times, is impossible to achieve.
Hit the snooze button
When it comes to emails, I say a snooze button is an essential tool. It can help us prioritize what is important at the moment and what can wait until later. The main trick here would be to understand what is important and needs to be prioritized and what isn’t.
I usually hit the Snooze button when I receive long threads or emails that do not require my immediate reply. This allows me to concentrate on the most urgent matters and helps me distribute my workload evenly across my schedule. It also reminds me to follow up on a thread in a timely manner if needed.
Unsubscribe from junk
Junk email is a bane for those who prefer to receive news, industry updates, and special offers via email. Junk emails add up and, without us even noticing, fill up our Inboxes and can cause a small panic simply with their sheer number.
Going through an email cleanse and unsubscribing from unnecessary email campaigns is a great way to reduce junk in your inbox and decrease the amount of information noise that can be so overwhelming.
I personally view it as a part of my information hygiene program.
Second: raising the bar
Develop a tag-and-filter system
At SupportYourApp, our Learning and Development department has dedicated a whole course to tips and tricks for dealing with our everyday tasks. And setting up tags and filters for our inbox is one of the primary points in it.
By color-coding, filtering, and tagging our Inbox, we can structure it and help our brain distinguish between the information we need to process and respond to right now and something that we can look through later.
I have 98 filters and around 50 labels in my inbox, and I wouldn’t know how to deal with as many emails on a daily basis without them.
Write and DON’T send
Yes, you read that correctly.
When we find the time to respond to one or several emails, we want to make sure to squeeze in as much information into them as possible.
Sometimes I type up the text of an email and wait for several minutes before going back and sending it. It gives me time to remember everything I want to say and every question I want to ask. This way, our team does not waste a single second on unnecessary back-and-forth emails that can become an annoyance and retain our energy and productivity to focus on our clients’ customers’ needs.
Set timers
Imagine: a CEO has given themselves an hour to respond to 35 urgent emails. They have about 100 seconds per email. Without watching the clock, time can get away from them, and one hour can turn into two, which they may not have available.
Setting timers and knowing how to hit every mark is a unique skill. Mastering it can be a game-changer when it comes to sticking with a schedule and paying our Inbox as much attention as it needs.
Third: the expert level
Set and forget
A lot of us have regular emails. Reminders about upcoming tasks, birthday wishes, national holiday congratulations, and so on. These can easily be tackled by scheduled messages. Going through one’s calendar and scheduling all regular messages beforehand is a good way to free up some headspace and time.
I have been practicing this approach for years, and believe me when I say — this has been a game-changer for me.
Delegate replies if appropriate
This may be a tough one.
First, delegating replies may not always be accepted by all parties. Some clients, customers, or teammates may await YOUR response, and delegating it to a deputy may not cut it.
It is important to know who will accept a delegate instead of the person an email is addressed to directly and what can be delegated and what cannot.
If a leader knows they can entrust some communication to their team, they should absolutely do it. This will free up the resources needed for tasks and responses that specifically require their attention.
Use keywords for easier search
If search engines can do that, so can we!
If you can find ways to incorporate keywords into your email for easier search later on, you are a true emailing ninja. Insert keywords that will be both easy to find and remember. Because what’s the point of going through this step when you can’t remember what to search for later on?
Receiving 100+ emails a day can be frustrating. Developing a system that will help sort incoming communication, schedule messages, and delegate some tasks and responsibilities is one of the best things a leader can do for their inbox and their mental well-being.