Email has become the cornerstone of modern communications, yet can also be an overwhelming task for employees to manage. Becoming overwhelmed with email can have serious effects on productivity and lead to unnecessary stress; by following some simple guidelines for handling email efficiently you can improve efficiency while staying focused on tasks that really matter.
1. Allocate time each day to process emails.
Many of us check our email throughout the day, which can become an unnecessary distraction from getting work done. Instead, set aside specific blocks of time each day when checking email – and commit to finishing all work during that period – this will help keep you on task, eliminate distractions, and lower the risk of missing important emails.
2. Unsubscribe or opt-out of any newsletters no longer relevant to you.
Your inbox may be overrun with emails that serve no purpose – from weekly product updates to newsletters you never read. By unsubscribing from these unwanted communications, it can save a great deal of time each day as they no longer appear in your inbox and require scrolling.
3. Establish an email filing and categorization system. To make it easier to locate information later, creating folders or labeling your emails makes life much simpler – for each project or client involved or urgent requests received later on, etc. With services like Gmail you can even set up subcategories allowing more precise organization of emails.
4. Prioritize emails according to their importance and urgency.
It can be easy to get caught up in thinking every email is important, but not all are created equal. Establish a priority system for handling them all — such as using the “two-minute rule.” When opening any message, immediately ask yourself if responding will take less than two minutes; if so, respond or complete immediately otherwise delegate or schedule for later completion.
5. Use email rules and templates to automate responses to common requests.
Templates and email rules can help streamline repetitive responses by automating responses for common emails such as confirmations and purchase receipts, saving both time and ensuring timely processing of these types of communications.
By employing these simple strategies, you can become a more efficient email processor and increase your impact at work. You’ll be able to address customer concerns more quickly, close deals more quickly, and keep projects moving along on schedule more effectively. Furthermore, your team may benefit from having a standardized approach for handling emails that makes finding information simpler – give these strategies a try now!
