Next to paper, email is often the hardest thing to stay on top of. Hours can be spent each day mindlessly scanning email, but it still builds! The problem with a never-ending email inbox is that it's easy to lose track of what's important and what still needs to be dealt with.
Questions to Consider
1. Do you use your email inbox as a record keeper? In other words, are you afraid to delete your email for fear you'll need the record later? Are these "records" cluttering your inbox?
2. Do you use your email inbox to hold things that still need to be done? A "to-do" list of sorts?
3. Do you find important emails buried by the unimportant after only a few days?
4. Have you had too many scares of forgotten or unnoticed email?
If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, you'll want to read on for useful tools on shrinking your inbox and increasing your level of service and sanity.1. Utilize Folders
Many of my clients have an issue with storing emails in their inbox. This contributes to clutter, lost emails, and wasting time looking at old emails over and over again. Don't store all your emails in your inbox! Instead, create folders.
Folders are the easiest way to sort your inbox, and practice good record-keeping. Use sub-folders for more detailed organization. For example, you might have a "client" folder with subfolders for each client name. You might create a "vacation" folder to hold all the emails for your upcoming trip. Or you might create a "reading" folder to hold emails you plan to read, etc.
2. Utilize Flags
Flags are an easy way to sort emails that need an immediate response or action by you. For example, you may check your email first thing in the morning, but not be able to handle them before your a.m. meeting. Flag the most important emails (most email systems have this option). When you come back from your meeting, sort your email by flags, and deal with those first.
In addition, many programs offer color-coded flags. So you might use red flags for urgent replies, green for research, blue for things to add to your calendar. Colored flags can also be a good option for prioritizing the reading folder.
3. Utilize Filters
How many lists do you subscribe to? I'll bet you receive a lot of reading that you plan to get to, but instead it gets buried and clutters your inbox. Use your email system's filter option to automatically send these emails to a separate folder. You might create a general "reading" folder, or you might have specific folders for each list you subscribe to. (Are you worried you'll never get to the reading if it's not in your inbox? Keep reading!)
Filters can also be used for large clients or projects. Simply create a folder which you automatically "filter" all related communication to. Your email system should show you when there is a new email in that folder.
4. Delete or Sort Emails Daily
Sort or delete your emails on a daily basis, at the time you read them. That way you won't be re-reading the same emails over and over.
5. Utilize Your Calendar And/Or To-Do ListMany people worry about out-of-site, out-of-mind. But, if you think about it, your buried emails are out-of-site! If you have emails that require important action by you, I encourage you to utilize your calendar or to-do list to schedule these items and remind you of their importance.
A Few Examples
Often the best way to deal with email is to combine several tools. Below are some examples to help you put it all together.
Example 1: I am dealing with a project that generates 10 emails. I've been copied on 3 emails for my information, 4 emails were sent to me by the client as background information, and 3 still require a reply by me, but I'm not able to reply at this moment. To organize this and not clutter my inbox, I may do the following:
Example 2: I receive an email for a class that I'm interested in, but I haven't decided whether or not to sign up. Rather than leave the email in my inbox to be buried, I will add the registration deadline to my calendar, so I don't forget about it and miss out. With that reminder, I will paste the website address or other information in my calendar for easy reference.
In addition, I may move this email to an "education" folder for easy reference or I may flag this email and leave it in my inbox to be dealt with.
Example 3: I have a large client and it is important that I respond to their emails within one business day. I will create a filter or "rule" that says all emails from "X client" are automatically moved to the "X client active" folder. The first thing I do each morning is check that folder before I am distracted by other emails.
Finally, go slow. Change takes time and practice, so try implementing one new thing at a time. Give yourself a chance to adjust to new ideas before you discard them. Remember, email is a tool that should make you more efficient, not less!
Extra Tip
It's a better use of time to check your email 2 to 4 times per day, rather than every 5-10 minutes. This allows for better focus and less distraction from other projects.
I hope these tips allow you to easily reduce your inbox from 100 emails to 20!
Learn more about the author, Tia Ribary.
Tia, I enjoyed this article. I use email as a record keeper. When I tried to use filters, and my pc started compacting files, it automatically started on my folders where my most important stuff was. I spent hours on the phone with Microsfot and Dell to try and recover these folders, to no avail; so now I am a little afraid of using folders. This happened more than once for me. Any ideas? Thanks again.
Andrew
I agree with a few of your suggestions. What I try to do is keep my folders organized with "sub folders" since I have several writers that write for us. Thanks for sharing I will be sending this article out. :)
Great article. I'm guilty of collecting emails until my box gets overflowing. It's kind of a like my closet, I have to be in the mood to go on a "delete campaign". Your tips make a lot of sense...not to put it to practice.
Nice practical tips Tia. They're in line with how I us my inbox, but I know there are many who could benefit from your suggestions.
Hi Andrew,
I'm not sure what program you are using but I can give you an example from Outlook. If you go to the File menu and choose Archive, you can actually set the date you'd like the archive to start from.
Another, and maybe better option, is if you right click on a folder and choose Properties, go to the Auto Archive tab and choose "Do not archive this folder". That should keep your records out of the archives. Let me know if this helps!
Good suggestions, Tia.
I really like #4. I don't like to deal with an e-mail more than once.
I do use folders and sub-folders and find them very handy. I might look into the flags option.
Timely article - just back in country after 10 days away. Total email overwhelm! Must look into those filters asap.. Thanks, Leta
Thanks for the article, Tia. I like the flagging idea and will begin utilizing that right away.
Anne
I have found the flags to be one of the MOST utilized options by my clients as well. I hope it works for each of you! I use them myself and have found them very useful.
Do you have any specific suggestions for us Mac-users? I've been using Entourage but want to switch to Mail. I'm sure it would make the transition easier if I had a vision of how to organize it going in.
Hi Pamela, great question! The basics of how you organize your inbox still apply. I'm not a MAC user so I can't offer specific software suggestions. However, most mail programs allow for folders and/or subfolders and filters at the very least. The article principals should still work for you, and you can use the help menu to discover that particular software's tools.
If you need help implementing these ideas, or if you'd like help customized for your work before you switch to Mail, I'm available for a consult. And, of course, I'm glad to answer any quick questions here.
Good luck and thank you!
Hi Tia:
After spending a great deal of time cleaning out my In-Boxes on Fri. night - that's all I'm going to say on the subject! - I'm glad to read your article because it confirms that I am doing things properly.
I'm also learning to reply immediately, if it's one that can be done quickly. I used to read and then go back, which goes against my 'touch it once' rule for paper-work.
It was important that you mentioned to go slow as habits take time to integrate - one of the things I reinforce with my clients on a regular basis.
This article is going to ease universal pain among business owners everywhere, and that is a beautiful thing. What other articles can you write to bring us all more success with greater ease? I can't wait to see what is next. Thanks Tia.
Another thing to consider is data file management. I work out of my home and therefore have various worlds that overlap while I use the same computer. So I'm using Outlook 2007 and I have 4 data files: "Personal Folders" for my personal e-mails (this is also the default inbox), "Elle Marie Hair Studio" for business e-mails related to the hair salon I own, "Socializers" for business e-mails related to the events company I own, and of course "Archive Folders". I have 9 e-mail addresses that are accessed when hitting Send/Receive. Once e-mails come into my Personal Folders inbox (the default), I have rules setup to automatically distribute them to the root level of the various data files. Then I can manage my time appropriately and only focus on certain data files during certain hours of the day to stay on task.
...but let's be honest. I'm not that disciplined. I'm always checking all of my data files regularly and am constantly overloaded with e-mails...which is why I read this article to being with. So I'm not saying my strategy is right. I'm just saying that's what I do.
Hi Tia, I am a Mac user and love the folders to organize my work. Your article was a great help to me as far as getting more organized to address the clutter that wasted so much time. I always think I will go back to e-mails to read or answer them when I have time. Guess what - that time never seems to come. Addressing each e-mail as you open it is the best way to avoid more work. I just joined Biznik, so hello everyone.
Okay, so I've GOTTA jump in with my own 2-bits worth at this point.
I'm carrying over 350 emails presently and deleting quickly. Seems that when one is out, 3 more come in. It's the nature of my biz unfortunately. Therefore, deletion is top priority.
Some of us operate on a server with others in the company and therefore have limitations on storage for the email's "inbox". Mine happens to be 50 megs which is more than most companies that limit their employees and mgt to 20mgs.
For those who use Outlook and like to have emails to reference back to important data found within, I have a suggestion how to save your emails:
a) Create a folder out on your "My Documents" area that you'll call for example, "Emails Saved". In that, you can then have sub folders for each client or business.
b) Now, go to your Outlook. While you are in the "Inbox", LEFT CLICK one time to highlight the specific email you wish to save.
c) Do a "File", "Save as" and browse for that Emails Saved folder, open it - WAIT!!!!
d) MAKE SURE you change in the little drop-down menu box at the bottom, the format from HTML to "Outlook Message Format". Otherwise, when you delete the email from your inbox (thinking the email copy is now safely in the folder), all the attachments will be stripped off.
Why do I do this? Well, I happen to set up events, parades, marketing pieces, etc., pertaining to specific groups of people. I can now more readily go back to the folders instead of hunting thru "Archives" on Outlook and delete the emails when I'm ready from there. In the meantime, my Inbox is cleaned up and I've saved what I really needed to keep for a while in a logical place.
Of course, the "Duuuuuh" thing to do is also get off your friends' lists for political, jokes and the "send this to 8 friends" sorts of emails. Amazing how many Barack and McCain emails I've been getting from both sides trying to convince me of the virtues or foybals of the other.
All the best for a prosperous 1/4th quarter!!!!
These are great additional ideas and solutions to other common (or not-so-common) problems. Thank you so much for sharing!
Jody, I like your comment about not being disciplined enough to only check one folder at a time. That is a common problem and it really comes down to just that...discipline. Any system, no matter how great, is only as good as we use it.
A couple additional hints:
You can use a timer to help yourself stay on track when needing to focus on one thing. Say you're only going to deal with this piece of business, or this folder, for 20 minutes. Set the timer and it can help you stay focused.
I HIGHLY recommend unsubscribing from lists. We cannot keep our email address away from all the junk senders, but we can unsubscribe from many when they find us. Do it right away (or better yet, have your assistant do it for you), and all that junk won't be taking precious minutes from your day.
Keep those comments coming. I love the additional ideas! And, I appreciate you all sharing!
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