Ever opened your emails only to be inundated with 200 new ones load right in front of your face? What usually follows that is me closing my laptop and slowly backing away to pretend I don't have responsibilities.
But I have been working really hard on having my inbox clear at all times and these are 4 tips that I have found work for me so I thought I would share..
If you run your own business or have a side hustle then it's likely that you receive a hell of a lot of emails! From client enquiries, to comment notifications and press releases...there is a lot streaming into your inbox on the daily.
Even if you have a 9-5 job these tips can definitely apply to you to make sure that your inbox is first of all manageable then maintainable to be at a just a few emails at any time.
The first step to taking back control over your inbox is to go through all of the emails that are currently sitting in there. This was SUCH a painful process for me. I had literally thousands of emails that I had not replied to that I had let sit there while I procrastinated. Some of them were so many months old I just deleted them which means I had actually missed many opportunities and potential collaborations with companies. Once you reply to all the outstanding ones, delete the old ones and file away the rest you will have a blank canvas to work with again.
2. Unsubscribe from Junk Marketing Emails
How many emails do you get that you just hit delete on straight away? The BEST tip I can give you in this entire post is so take the time to scroll to the bottom of the email and click unsubscribe. Doing so will mean you save yourself so much future time deleting emails you have no intention of reading. Sure you have a favourite brand but do you really care about when they release a new purse or is it just encouraging you to shop more? I'm sure if you are in need of a new purse you will go out and seek one - you don't need pointless emails flooding your inbox.
3. Reply Straight Away
When you get an important emails, reply straight away! Don't procrastinate and let it sit there because you'll likely forget about it and then it's too late or it just sits there clogging up your inbox. Make a habit of addressing things as they come to you that way you stay on top of everything. Prioritize the emails and deal with them in that order.
4. Set Time Blocks to Reply
This brings me to the topic of how to make a dent in your inbox. Ever find yourself trying to answer emails as you go throughout the day but you just aren't getting anywhere or making any progress? Set aside allocated time periods to work away on your inbox for maximum results. I like to set aside half an hour blocks a few times a day to really tackle my emails. It's enough time to make some progress but not too long to the point where I lose concentration.
Bonus Tip
Have a fantastic filing system so that you can always find things. I file EVERYTHING because you never know when you will need to refer back to your discussions with a brand or need to find a media release. I split my emails into categories for each of my platforms; Jordy's Beauty Spot, Jordy's Fitness etc. then I have sub headings like "Brands" then "Beauty" then "Maybelline", "L'Oreal", "Revlon" etc.
