How your email use can hurt your productivity

Email plays a large role in our lives. We use it to communicate with family, friends, coworkers, clients, and our bosses. Although email can be an extremely effective tool, it can also be extremely ineffective if used incorrectly. A recent LifeHack.org article highlighted the ways in which email should never be used:

1. It’s not a task manager. Your email is not a task list or a bunch of action items. You cannot prioritize emails based on due dates and they cannot be grouped into projects. You also cannot control what comes into your inbox. In addition, you cannot assign an email to someone and track the progress.

2. It’s not a file folder. Your email is not a large file folder for you to store things. You cannot search inside attachments. You also cannot organize different types of information and put them together.

3. It’s not a phone. If email is constantly being used back and forth for clarification, then a phone call would be most appropriate. Using email back and forth can lead a lot of inbox clutter.

4. Your email attempts consensus building. Do not allow emails to get put on hold. Instead, write shorter emails with actionable items.