It’s Wednesday afternoon and emails multiply like zucchinis in July (I know, because that’s what my zucchinis are doing!).
How can you handle the onslaught and still be responsive?
Here are four things I do:
- Limit email inbox visits.
- Respond, discard, or file.
- Reduce clutter and unsubscribe
- Think ahead
Limit email inbox visits
Depending on the week, I limit visits to my email inbox box to two or three times a day. I also set (and hold to) a period of time to spend on the inbox—usually 45 minutes. I open email when my workday starts, at noon, and then the end of the day. I don’t look at email in the evening.
Respond, discard, or file
When responses can be short, I respond immediately. If the email is from a listserv or newsfeed that I follow erratically, I discard it right away (more on this later). If the email requires a lengthy response or some action that requires more than 10 minutes, I flag it and note when I’ll attend to the message.
For example, I have an email right now from a colleague about an online session he’s asked me to do. I want to take time to digest the information and propose what I’ll do. I’ve flagged the email and informed the writer I’ll work on the task Wednesday, and get back to him then.
Reduce clutter and unsubscribe
I regularly unsubscribe from listservs I no longer read, follow, or care about. This includes unsubscribing from sites that captured my address when I downloaded that free PDF. Yes, it takes a few minutes, but the time is worth it. That’s one more email that doesn’t clutter my mailbox and would go into the trash anyway.
Think ahead
Provide options when using email to schedule a meeting. You know that back and forth of—
Me: Can we meet sometime next week?
Colleague: Sure, I’m free most of the week, except for Friday.
Me: How is Thursday?
Colleague: Yup. Can you do 3?
Me: Yes. Do you want me to call you?
Colleague: Sure.
Me: Which number?
Colleague: Office number.
Me: OK. Talk then.
When possible, I provide as much information for the other individual to make decisions right off the bat. For example—
Me: I’’d like to talk for 20 minutes next week to check in on our deliverables for the client. I’m available Tuesday is wide open; Wednesday, anytime before noon; Thursday, anytime after 1pm. Let me know if you’d prefer phone of Zoom. If you’d prefer phone, please confirm the number.
Colleague: Great. Thursday, noon is great for me. Call me on the office line.
Me: Confirmed. Talk Thursday, noon. I’ll call you at xxx.xxx.xxxx.
And finally…
Think about your recipient. Begin to model a few simple practices that help you both. Use the subject line to give your colleague info or permission.
- If the email is an FYI, put in in the subject line, “FYI. No response needed.” That frees the other person from feeling compelled to send a “Thank you.” And that eliminates one more unnecessary message in your inbox.
- If the email is lengthy or requires a hefty response, give the reader a heads-up in the subject line: “Lengthy email,” or “Need a thoughtful response.”
These ideas won’t solve all your problems, but they might just make email a little easier to manage.