Do you sometimes keep clicking into your inbox even though you just checked it only 5 minutes ago?
If so, you’re not alone!
As Dr. Don Wetmore, founder of the Productivity Institute once said, “Technology is often heralded as a servant for us, yet frequently we become a servant to it.”
Given the seemingly ever-increasing number of emails we receive each day, it can certainly become difficult to manage the amount of time we spend dealing with them.
Three common best practices that many say have helped them reduce the drain on their productivity in dealing with email are:
- Set time blocks for checking the in-box and stick to it… Set an appropriate number of “times” each day, or set ten-minutes per hour aside for in-box reviews. This will avoid constantly bouncing back-and-forth from other tasks to check our in-box.
- Close your browser in between the blocks or “work offline” if you need it for other tasks.
- Turn off email notifications (if you can…). This will help you avoid distractions throughout the day and also avoid the above referenced lower productivity associated with multi-tasking. If you use your phone for email, do the same and keep your phone turned upside down.
Of course there are many additional methods for improving the efficiency and effectiveness of how we manage our email and keep our in-box decluttered, many of which consist of learning how to maximize the many features offered by today’s email browsers.
Here is an insightful video that shares some of these potentially game-changing email time savers.