Tame Your Email Overload – Tips From Fellow Bloggers
March 9, 2008 by Yvonne Russell
I was inspired by Celine Roque’s posts about how she tamed her email overload at Pimp My Work – Part 1 and Part 2.
This is something I need to do – and soon, before I sink into the morass of emails.
I also liked Laura Spencer’s approach at Work From Home Momma to tackling a challenge. Rather than set unrealistic annual goals, she sets one or two small “baby steps” goals each month.
Both Celine’s and Laura’s approaches are manageable and practical. I’m going to take heed of both and set to work on taming my emails in March.
- How about you?
- What small thing could you do that will get you ahead, without being unrealistic?
Image courtesy of Yvonne Russell © at Grow Your Writing Business
I recently learned how to set up folders for my e-mail, so am slowly getting it sorted. This helps so much when I need to find a particular e-mail. Now I have to be careful I don’t get too much mail in my folders!
ME:
Here’s a tip that takes a little time to figure out but has made a HUGE difference in my email overload. In Outlook it’s called setting up “Rules,” an automatic sorting function that puts emails from certain senders or with certain words in the subject (or other attributes) directly into a designated folder instead of your inbox. My email newsletters, or blog comment and newsletter signup notifications, frequent flyer emails, and all other stuff that comes regularly and isn’t urgent never hits my less-clogged inbox.
Hi Mary Emma & Sean
Great suggestions, thanks.
Another really helpful idea is to limit the number of time you check your email each day. Each time you go into that inbox, it “takes time” to tear yourself away. I like to suggest no more than 5 times a day, and even fewer if you can do it.
Then go in with the intention of sorting, not working. This is just what you do once a day with postal/paper mail! Then putting it in folders allows you to control your work, not vice versa!
Marsha Egan
http://inboxdetox.blogspot.com
Marsha – This is so true. It’s so tempting to just want to get rid of emails as they arise, but batching them is far more efficient.
Good idea, Marsha. I’ve heard so many people say they’ve had to develop specific times for checking their e-mail and dealing with it. Otherwise, they’re working on their e-mail continually and not getting other work done. I’m finding sorting into folders is helping me deal with it, too. I need to refine this even more.
Thanks, Sean, for your suggestion. I’ll have to check my program to see if/how I can set it up so mail goes directly to these folders without clogging the in-box.