Reply, forward, tag, file, archive… doesn’t it all feel pretty endless? Well that’s because it is! Getting lost in the abyss of our inboxes has happened to all of us. And since you’re here, it’s likely happening to you right now; which is why we have put together a few simple tips for staying on top of your inbox by following the four Ds rule!
Trust us: with a clear process, managing your inbox becomes a walk in the park…
1) Delete
The sheer volume of emails we receive is simply overwhelming. A report from Adobe’s annual survey states that we spend an average of five hours a day dealing with work emails!
Of course, we find it difficult to let go of those emails; it’s that niggling thought of ‘I might need this someday’ – but if after 2 weeks that newsletter still hasn’t been read, then it’s likely it never will, so let’s unsubscribe and delete it!
2) Do it
The best way to tick things off your list: if it takes less than 2 minutes to complete, then graduate it to the top of the priority list. This includes things like reminder emails, invitations and promotions. They take little time and brain power, so let them jump to the front of the queue.
However, It’s really important not to consistently interrupt your workflow to open emails, as this makes getting into the headspace for ‘deep work’ next to impossible. We recommend scheduling email check-ins to keep on top of things, without disrupting your day.
3) Delegate
As much as we wish we could do everything ourselves, it just isn’t possible… and it’s definitely not an effective use of time. Simple tasks deserve to be handed over, such as booking in meetings.
It’s easy to delegate, just set parameters for your availability (for example, Mondays and Thursday between 09:30 and 15:00, with a 30 minute rest between), then have a VA book in your meetings.
4) Defer
Reacting to any and everything that comes into our inboxes will sentence us to a life in inbox! The pressure to be responsive is ingrained in us, and we’ve all set our default to respond ASAP. But if it’s too important to delete, too demanding to do now and only you can take care of it, then defer it.
When we come across these emails we usually want to dig in right there and then, but it’s a large demand on your time and focus. So accepting it’s okay to leave it until later is fine. Unless someone’s life depends on it, the task can wait. We recommend asking Google or Alexa to set a reminder or if you use a browser plugin.
Get help managing your inbox
Gaining control of your inbox is liberating, as it gives you the mental space to do important work like problem solving or thinking creatively.
However, having a clean inbox doesn’t always equal a productive day – it may mean that you’ve just completed someone else’s to-do list rather than your own! Using a system to organise and manage your emails will not only hold that increased cortisol production at bay, but it will give you the time to focus on the most valuable parts of your business.
If you’d like support managing your emails and diary, our expert team are here to help. To get started, just get in touch with us today.
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