If you’re feeling overwhelmed at the end of your day and think you haven’t accomplished anything, three main culprits could be to blame: lack of focus, too many meetings, and poor email management. While all three of these can be improved over time, managing your email can be the first step to reclaiming some of your time and avoiding unnecessary distractions, as the average professional spends about 28% of their workday reading and responding to emails.
Managing your email inbox can be overwhelming due to the constant flow of messages, newsletters, and notifications. It’s easy for your inbox to become cluttered. A well-organized inbox not only saves time but also reduces stress and increases productivity. Here’s how you can clean up your inbox and maintain its cleanliness.
1. Identify and Eliminate Unnecessary Emails Manually
The first step in cleaning up your inbox is reducing Unnecessary Emails before you even get them. Classify them as spam, or unsubscribe from promotional emails that you don’t want to read as soon as you receive them.
Now, be honest with yourself and consider reducing work emails as well to effectively reduce your daily noise and distractions. Before relying on automated tools, take the time to manually assess whether you should be involved in the emails and meetings you’re receiving. Consider whether they truly require your attention or if you can be removed from the chain.
If an email isn’t relevant to your role, request to be removed from the list. If it’s something that could be better handled by a coworker or direct report, delegate it. Additionally, explore alternative communication methods that don’t involve long email threads, such as using Slack for quick discussions or adding topics to the agenda for the next team meeting. This step helps you streamline communication and avoid unnecessary clutter in your inbox.
2. Sort Emails Automatically
After manually filtering your emails, you can use email tools or filters to automatically prioritize important messages. You can utilize Artificial Intelligence tools, such as Sanebox, to sort important emails from unimportant ones and move them to appropriate folders, helping you organize your inbox.
Once you’ve cleared out the unnecessary clutter, your main inbox should mostly contain important emails, allowing you to focus on urgent and essential matters when you’re short on time. Check your essential emails during natural breaks, and then check less critical emails only once a day.
3. Use Folders to Organize Your Inbox
Creating a folder system can greatly enhance your email management. Here are a few folder ideas to help you get started:
- To-do: Some emails that you receive may require you to take action. If you can reply in less than two minutes, do so immediately. If you need more time to work on it, move it to a to-do folder or use a tool like Google Tasks to mark the email to be added to your to-do list.
- Spam and Unwanted Emails: Create a folder where you can send emails that you never want to see again. This is ideal for newsletters, advertisements, or any recurring spam. Set it up so that emails in this folder are automatically deleted after 30 days.
- Receipts and Invoices: Set up a folder for purchase receipts, invoices, and other transaction-related emails. This can also include emails related to family, work, and deliveries. It’s an easy way to keep track of your spending and find important documents when needed.
- Newsletters and Updates: If you subscribe to multiple newsletters or updates, direct all these emails to a specific folder. This way, you can find and read them at your convenience without them cluttering your main inbox.
- Non-Urgent Emails: Create a folder for emails that aren’t urgent and can be dealt with later.
4. Clear Out Old and Unnecessary Emails
If you run out of storage space in your inbox, clear out old and unnecessary emails. Summarize by email count and total attachment size, and start deleting or archiving emails that you no longer need. This frees up space and makes it easier to find the emails that truly matter. To make it easier, schedule a monthly or bi-monthly cleaning time.
Keep Your Inbox Clean and Manageable
By identifying and eliminating unnecessary emails, prioritizing important messages, and organizing your inbox with folders, you can keep your inbox clean and manageable. Remember to regularly clear out old emails and set up automated rules to maintain this organization. Most importantly, keep in mind that you can also prevent email clutter by removing yourself from unwanted lists or email chains. With these strategies, your inbox will be a tool that enhances your productivity, not a source of stress.
Start implementing these strategies today! Schedule a coaching session so that I can support you in the process.
