How To Take Control Of Your Inbox
Taking the first steps to decluttering your inbox can be daunting. But, having an organised inbox is really important, especially at work. On average, more than 25% of a worker's day is spent answering and reading emails so it's a sure thing that adding some structure to your inbox will allow you to spend less time sorting, reading and replying to emails and more time focusing on what really matters!
Here's our 4 top tips on how to control your Inbox.
1. ORGANISE
Ditch the ‘I’ll do it later’ attitude and start organising your emails as soon as they hit your inbox. Creating folders and categories will allow you to transfer your emails into the corresponding folder as soon as you receive them. When creating folders be methodical. Start by creating broad folders such as ‘clients’ and then within them, create subfolders. The better your filing system, the easier it will be for you to swiftly locate the emails or files you need.
Top tip: set yourself a limit of how many emails are allowed to be in your Inbox before they are filed. This will ensure you keep on top of your filing.
2. DELETE
It’s time to stop hoarding emails you don’t need!
As soon as you have finished reading an email, decide what to do with it - File or delete? If it doesn’t require a response or contain any information you will need in the future, there is absolutely no need to keep it. For the few that you are unsure about, Gmail users can ‘Archive’ them, meaning they will still be retrievable, but won’t be clogging up your inbox, it’s a win win!
3. UNSUBSCRIBE
If you find yourself deleting the same emails over and over, it’s time to unsubscribe. Receiving daily emails from Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc are unnecessary and do nothing but distract you and disguise your important emails. Either unsubscribe completely or alter the settings on your account so you only receive notifications you need to see. Promotions from e-commerce sites or newsletters you tell yourself you will read but never do, also need to go! “Exclusive” deals and promotions usually aren’t exclusive and are easily traceable on Google, so do yourself a favour and unsubscribe. Chances are, you would never have used them anyway!
4. CREATE “RULES”
Let your inbox do the work for you and create rules for your email programme to automatically perform when you receive an email. Setting your account to move your emails to either according files or trash will save you a lot of time, making the dreaded task of tackling your inbox every day a walk in the park!
A cluttered email inbox can really hinder productivity by preventing you from maximising your time, distract you from obligations and in some cases, cause you to miss important emails. Following these simple steps will ensure your working day is a lot less-stressful and a lot more productive!
We'd love to know any top tips you have for filing your emails! Make sure you comment below so we can take our inbox OCD to the next level!
Make sure you DM/email us with any questions - we'd love to hear from you!
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