Simple tips for effective email management
A recent study found that a quarter of an average worker’s day is spent answering and reading emails. Although the goal of email is to facilitate communication, at times, it can be a counterproductive since so much time is spent managing it.
A recent article by Lifehack offered some useful tips to more effectively manage email so it does not decrease productivity.
- • Process your mail once a day. Create a time slot in your schedule designated to processing emails. If not emails are processed within that period of time, continue processing the remainder the following day.
- • Use the 1 minute rule when replying. If an email takes approximately 1 minute to reply, process it immediately and archive it away. Do not allow it to sit in your inbox for a significant amount of time.
- • Create template replies if you often send similar replies. If you find yourself constantly rewriting responses that are similar in nature, create a template for potential replies. Once saved, they can be customized based on what is required from the original email.
- • Prioritize 20% emails; Defer 80% ones. Your 20% emails are those that allow you to progress in your work or reach business goals (e.g., networking opportunities, interview leads, etc.). These emails should be given priority. Your 80% emails are those that fall outside of these categories. For 80% emails, you may take a longer time to respond or some may not warrant a response at all.
- • Structure your email into categories. Use folders or labels to organize your email. Use a nomenclature that is relevant to the task. Also, organize the folders hierarchically, such that first level folders are large general categories, while second level folders are for specific sub-categories.
- • Use filters. Use filters to sort your emails automatically. Specify the term to search for and designate the action to complete for such emails (e.g, archive, delete).
For additional tips of effectively managing email, check out the original article.