How many times have you looked at your inbox, only to cringe at the number of unread emails? If you’re like me, you probably do it ten, or even twenty times per day. Many of us are so overloaded by email that the idea of taming our inboxes seems like a pipe dream. But it doesn’t have to be! Taming your inbox may actually be easier than you think.
Don’t Look!
This may seem counterintuitive, but don’t look at your email first thing in the morning. Instead, set aside time at the beginning of every morning to work on a time sensitive project or task. Many of us are more focused in the morning, making it easier to devote time to one specific task. Focusing first on email, which may not be as time sensitive, can allow us to lose focus, and to lose track of time. This means less productive time spent on tasks that really matter.
But not looking at all makes you a little anxious right? Well, that’s OK. I’m not saying you can’t look at your email at all, just that you should set aside some specific time in your day to review your inbox. Choose half-hour or hour-long increments once or twice per day to deal with your inbox. Having a finite amount of time can allow you to better organize your day and not get caught up in the minutiae that can be email.
Unsubscribe
Yes, I know. You just might, someday, in a year’s time, need that Groupon discount. But right now, all it is doing is adding unwanted clutter to your inbox. It may seem small, but unsubscribing from the many sales emails we get on a daily basis can significantly reduce the traffic in your inbox. Putting in the work up front to determine which emails you truly do and don’t need can create more stress-free time on the back end. The number of emails in your inbox will significantly decrease, and you won’t have to spend as much time combing through your emails to find the important ones.
Categorize
Even after unsubscribing, you may still find that your inbox is larger than you want it to be. Now it’s time to categorize your emails. Create folders (and even sub-folders if you’re up to it) and rules that allow specific emails to go straight into these folders. This will reduce the number of emails in your inbox and will allow you to deal with the emails in the folders at your convenience. This can also be a great way to organize your emails so you can keep emails about the same topics together, without having them clutter your main inbox.
Use an App
If it still seems daunting to tackle your inbox by yourself, recruit some help! There are plenty of apps that can help you organize your inbox and become more productive. Apps such as Newton, Sanebox, and Streak can help your prioritize and filter emails, hide distractions, and remind you to follow up on important emails. Other apps like Boxer provide features such as ready to use email templates. There’s no one size fits all, so play around with a few different apps to figure out which one makes the most sense for you.
Think Differently
We’re conditioned to open an email as soon as it shows up in our inbox. But that isn’t necessarily the best way to be productive. Instead, try reframing how you think about your inbox. Think about it more in terms of your physical mailbox. You probably check your physical mailbox once a day, or maybe even every other day. You’re definitely not checking it ten or twenty times a day like you are your virtual inbox! You don’t let your physical mail dictate how you schedule each day, so don’t let your virtual mail dictate your schedule either. Make time for it and acknowledge the mail that is of high importance, but don’t let your entire day revolve around your inbox.
Depending on how connected you are to your email, taming your inbox may be one of the most difficult things you do. But it can also be one of the most rewarding. Less emails mean less stress, less distractions, and more opportunities for productivity. Everyone’s relationship to their inbox is different, so before you start making changes, think about how you use your inbox. Are you someone who saves every email? You may want to think about creating subfolders and archiving. Are you someone who likes to delete their emails so their inbox is at zero at the end of every day? You may want to think about holding a block of time towards the end of each work day dedicated solely to email. It will take some trial and error to come up with the system that works best for you, but it will be worth it to tame your inbox. Good luck!
ON TOPIC
Dr. Allyn M. Kaufmann
Section Head,
Intellectual Property Global Healthcare R&D
The Procter & Gamble Company
(Pawnee/Quapaw)
Dr. Allyn M. Kaufmann is currently a Section Head at Procter & Gamble focusing on global intellectual property for the Healthcare R&D sector. Here, he manages the strategic aspects of a broad IP portfolio across Oral Care, Personal Healthcare and New Chapter VMS brands. He has been at P&G for 12 years where he has co-led the Native American Network for 6 years. He is originally from Broken Arrow, OK and is Pawnee/Quapaw.
In an era of email and smartphones, how do you best cope with the demands of a connected workplace?
First, consider that the “demands of a connected workplace” is how business is done in today’s world. The “demands” are only demands if you see them as such and as a result this is a mentality that can become negative if you let it. Instead, see the connectedness as an opportunity for freedom and autonomy. From an office, sitting behind a computer or less than productive environments.
Do you make it a point to disconnect at certain times?
Of course! I have 5 children and they know when you are tuned in or tuned out. Disconnect, not only for you, but for ones that you love. The truth is that nothing is more important than your family and it is important to set expectations with yourself and your leadership.
Talk briefly about your work-life balance and how you maintain it.
Procter & Gamble (P&G) is very focused on ensuring an acceptable work-life balance that is tailored to the personal growth and life goals of the employee. They understand that if every employee achieves their optimal balance, they are more productive. I am fortunate to work for a company where those two worlds are intertwined together so that it doesn’t create the dichotomy of “work is bad, life is good.” For example, P&G has Flex@Work programs that allow employees to tailor their personal time around the business. Personally, I value time with my family in the afternoons, so I have created and aligned a schedule that achieves this need. I still get to do the work that I love and be present for my kids as they grow up.
Are there certain apps or other pieces of technology you find useful to stay organized?
I’m an avid notetaker. It is important to me to understand what I was thinking during a discussion so that I can put my thoughts into context. To do this, I use Microsoft OneNote which allows for organization per topic and searching of information at a later date.
What advice would you give to someone feeling overwhelmed by emails and work demands?
There are all sorts of tips and tricks that you can do with email “rules” like sending email to folders, ignoring when on cc only or checking email 2-3 times a day. I don’t get too hung up on these tips/tricks but I know they have been helpful to some people.
I am the type of person that immediately reads every email that comes into my inbox and I never have more than 10 unread emails at any given time. For me, this allows for a prioritization of my time and provides clarity on where to focus. I have created my own set of principles on what constitutes a range of responses, everything from an immediate reply to getting immediately deleted. After a while you get really good at executing such principles to the point where the information you possess is more up-to-date and relevant. Further, you become more balanced throughout the day.
What is your favorite way to unwind and get away from the connected world?
There are several things that I enjoy doing, aside from the aforementioned time with family. When I can find time, I love to draw, play music, golf and shop for sneakers. I am also preparing my children’s regalia for the next powwow season. My sons are grass dancers and my daughters dance fancy shawl.
