It’s ironic that technology, invented to save us time, money and energy can end up becoming a double-edged sword. Email is one example of a small element of your business day that can impact your productivity in significant ways, both positively and negatively. Email is obviously faster and cheaper than letter, stamp and next-day(?) postal delivery. But the fact that it’s faster and cheaper means people can “post” you junk that they wouldn’t invest in a letter, stamp and trip to the post box.
Consequently, email can get out of hand, and it often seems like a mountain of a task to get it back under control. It has become a distraction in itself: email notifications pop up throughout the day, demanding our immediate attention.
Achieving Inbox Zero
Developed by Merlin Mann, Inbox Zero is a rigorous approach to email management aimed at keeping the inbox empty – or almost empty – at all times. Inbox Zero helps to eliminate distractions, reduce the time spent sifting through email detritus, declutter your screen (and your brain), and perhaps most importantly, Inbox Zero gives you a sense of control and achievement which extends beyond the screen.
There are many ways to achieve Inbox Zero, but I will share with you my method. When a new message appears in my inbox, I follow the four Ds:
- Do – can I action this in under two minutes? If yes, do it immediately.
- Dump – is this junk? Get rid of it immediately.
- Delegate – if it doesn’t fit into your area of responsibility, delegate it immediately.
- Decide when – if actioning this will take longer than two minutes, decide when you will do it instead. Set an alarm or schedule an appointment in your calendar.
Some people love to get to Inbox Zero daily. For others, this seems daunting, and many instead aim for 5pm on Friday. Whichever way works for you, the feeling of leaving work for the day (or the weekend) knowing you’re at Inbox Zero is sweet. Give it a try!
Managing email hacks
- Only check your email a few times a day, or once an hour, on the hour.
- Add a line under your email signature that says something like “I only check my emails three or four times a day. If it’s urgent, please call me or walk around to my desk and see me”. This may not work for everyone, but if applied, it will give you control over email, rather than the other way around.
- Close your email client down when you want to focus on other tasks.
- Down tools at the end of the day. Choose a time to finish and set an alarm so that you do finish. Then, don’t check your emails while you’re away from work. If that is not possible, choose a time (and duration) to check them away from work, and stick to it. E.g., 8pm for 15 minutes.
- Finally, if you can’t close your email client down, at least turn your notifications off. There’s an hour back just from eliminating distracting pop-ups.
Email overwhelm
Does your email inbox feel overwhelming? Do you feel like you’re always on the back foot when it comes to dealing with email? Apart from the amount of time it takes to attend to each email, it can be a drain on your energy, in a couple ways.
Firstly, irritation with unsolicited “deliveries” can become major frustration and even anger. We start putting emotional energy into the thing, especially when we try to “unsubscribe”, and the addressee makes it difficult and laborious. Secondly, our energy is drained just by seeing emails sitting there in the Inbox. Once you have achieved Inbox Zero for the first time and experience the rush of energy you’ve made available, you’ll know what I mean.
Now… go forth and conquer your email…
Les Watson, The Time Lord, www.getmoretime.com.au
