4 steps to a tidy inbox: email organization
No matter what we do, our workdays are dominated by email.
I know for me, organization helps reduce stress, and I need all the zen I can get in my inbox!
Creating strategies to simplify email management can change the way you work, and give you time back in your day.
For those of us who receive hundreds of emails a day, there’s no better place to simplify and declutter than our inboxes.
Here’s how… have fun!
1. DISABLE YOUR EMAIL NOTIFICATIONS
Trust me! Turning off the pop up in the right corner is A. GAME. CHANGER.
Silencing the constant flow of emails is a way of self care. It's a way of bringing a little bit of luxury and simplicity into your work flow.
No more will you be mid sentence on a call and lose your train of thought because an email came in. Not a good look.
Every share your screen and a confidential email pops up? No thanks.
Turning off your notifier will allow you to:
- Check your email with intention, when you’re ready to take action
- Minimize the feeling of overwhelm by the constant pop up on your screen
- Maximize your time at work by focusing on one task at a time
- Stop flipping from email to project and increase your productivity
I would bet that by changing this one setting, your relationship with your inbox will also change (hint: it’s okay to take a few moments to respond).
2. REDUCE YOUR EMAIL SUBSCRIPTIONS
How many junk emails do you wake up to in the morning? Many of us wake up, check our phones and delete junk mail. Why spend time doing that, when an app can do it for you.
Unroll.me will show you every subscription you currently belong to, and will unsubscribe you from ones you no longer care about.
To take it one step further, the subscriptions you still care about will be packaged up neatly in one email, so you can peruse the deals/promos of the day all at once.
KMC tip: remember, you only want to keep what sparks joy, or is truly necessary. You might be surprised by how many subscriptions you’re willing to let go.
3. THERE'S AN APP FOR THAT
There are many strategic inbox management tools that will work for you to streamline your inbox as emails come through.
Inbox by Gmail groups messages together based on theme. Promos will appear in one group, for example, and travel-related emails will be bundled together, too. You can choose which bundles you want to use — opt in or out of as many categories as you like — to maximize organization.
4. CHANGE THE WAY YOU CLEAR EMAILS
The key to a tidy inbox is to clear out as many emails as possible. There are different ways to reduce the volume without hitting Delete.
My favorite way to clear my emails is to convert them into items on my calendar. Within Outlook, simply drag the email onto the Calendar icon (bottom left), a calendar request will open which includes the content of your email. You can either save to your calendar as a reminder, or block the time you need to action and reply.
So efficient!
By following these steps, I believe you will enjoy the luxury of maintaining a clear mind while working on your computer. What have you got to lose? Give it a try!
Please share your success stories below – I can’t wait to hear them!
xx