For many, tackling one's email inbox can be very daunting. While your overflowing inbox can be very intimidating, there are methods to tame your unyielding inbox. Essential email management can help you set up a system to maintain your inbox for weeks! Email Management is a tool to help optimize productivity by reducing inbox clutter and creating a digital organization system that is right for you and your business. Popular programs such as Outlook and Gmail make email management accessible for anyone to implement in their personal or professional inboxes. Email management, at its core, is very straightforward. Watch this tool quickly help you create a digital organization system that enables you to optimize your productivity. No matter how old or your given profession is, you can benefit from managing your email inbox. Luckily, there are actionable steps you can take to make email management easy!
The easiest way to tame your inbox is to tackle it daily! Like any other habit, it takes time to make something feel like second nature to you, but habits can change our lives significantly for the better. Implementing email management as a habit will help you stick to keeping your inbox tidy for the foreseeable future! So how can you make it a habit? Many email management enthusiasts recommend making email management your priority every day. Those who spend the first hour of their work day dedicated to their inboxes can feel more productive because they will not waste time organizing their tasks throughout the day. As you pour yourself your first cup of morning joe, sit down and read every single email from the previous night. This way, you can start your day with a clean slate. Many people make the mistake of obsessing over their inbox all day long. This makes you less productive, and your email can provide more distractions than necessary. Do not let your email inbox hinder your productivity! Take that first hour to focus on email management solely, and then proceed with the rest of your day!
So you are now sitting at your desk with your first cup of coffee and are prepared to sort through your inbox. To make email management easy, you should immediately start with unsubscribing to any unwanted emails. Why is this important? Well, a huge part of email management is dealing with inbox clutter. If you unsubscribe to emails, you do not want or need, this will help you receive less mail in the future, making it easier to sort through your inbox. Also, if you have been using the same email address, you have probably accumulated a lot of junk mail. This is an easy first step in starting your email management journey.
After you unsubscribe from all your unwanted mail, it is time to pick a way to manage your inbox consistently. One system that makes email management super easy is the OHIO method. At its core, OHIO refers to dedicating specific times throughout the day to check your inbox. The acronym OHIO stands for Only Handle It Once. So what does this mean exactly? This process refers to not obsessing over your inbox. Spending too much time on email organization can hinder your overall efficiency, which is the opposite of what we want to achieve. Only handling an email once refers to elevating the message's urgency and dealing with it. For example, you check your email and see a message from your boss. Open the email and assess its urgency. If you determine the task is a high priority, deal with it immediately and move on to the next email. This system helps you be productive with your inbox.
Another system that will help make email management easy to tackle is the Four D method.
The Four Ds are: delete, delegate, deal with, and delay. This process is very straightforward. Firstly, delete any unwanted emails immediately. It is prudent to start with this step because it will make the other categories easier to sort through. Secondly, delegate any emails if you are in a position to hand off tasks to someone, such as an executive assistant. Make a note of which emails to hand off to other team members and check in with them later about the progress of that task. This will save you time and allow yourself to focus on more high-priority tasks. Thirdly, deal with any high priority emails punctually. Lastly, delay any low-priority emails. These emails are still important enough not to delete but are not time-sensitive. This method is extremely popular and highly recommended by many.
Whether you use the OHIO or the Four D method, watch your inbox transform with one of these email management techniques. Again, email management can be stressful, but if you follow the above tips, you will watch your inbox transform into a neatly organized, well-oiled machine. Soon enough email management will become second nature to you!
