Control Your Email Inbox

Coach: Yara Nielsenshultz

Time is the coin of your life.
It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine
how it will be spent. Be careful lest you
let other people spend it for you.
Carl Sandburg

If you're like many working women, you feel overwhelmed by email. I know I used to. I kept my inbox open all day, checking whenever a message came in. Sometimes I replied right away; other times, I ignored the message but assigned it a reminder that popped up every day so I'd remember what I didn't have time to do. When my computer crashed and I lost all those messages, you know how I felt? Relieved! What a great excuse to start fresh.

And start fresh I did, with new habits and a clean inbox, which, for the most part, has stayed clean ever since. How did I do it? Here are some techniques.

First, empty your inbox. There are many reasons to do so:

And no, emptying your inbox is not impossible. The hard part is cleaning it out the first time. Once it’s empty, it only takes a few minutes each day to keep it empty. Remember, your inbox is not storage. It’s a place to temporarily store a message until you do something else with it (file it, delete it, respond to it, etc). Would you leave all your bill notices in your mailbox at home till the due date? No. You take them out and put them in a safe place until you pay your bills. Do the same with your email.

Cleaning doesn’t mean doing
Cleaning out your inbox doesn’t mean you have to do all the work outlined in each email. Instead, cleaning your inbox means putting the messages in the appropriate places. Create folders and file them.

Use the 2-minute rule
If it takes two minutes or less to complete an action called for in an email, do it immediately. If it takes more than 2 minutes, write it on your to-do list, then file or delete the message.

Use paper lists to track necessary replies
Do you have several emails to respond to? Grab a notepad and note who you need to respond to, message by message. Delete or file each email after you’ve noted it on your notepad. Then reply to each email on your list.

Close your email program
I myself have been guilty of leaving my email open all day. It's been the hardest habit for me to break. Nevertheless, it's one of the most important. Checking email every time a message comes in breaks your train of thought and makes you less efficient in your other projects. There are numerous ways you can close your email and still be responsive.

Don’t use email as your to-do list
Email is not designed to be a to-do list. Use a planner, task list, or whatever system works for you. But keep your inbox for its intended purpose: temporarily storing messages until you file them or delete them.

Stop and think: Is it worth $1.00?
Imagine that you were charged $1.00 for every email you received. How would you feel about some of the emails you get each day? What would you do to get people to stop sending you email? Think about it, and then try some of your ideas. Also consider the messages YOU send. Imagine that your recipients had to pay $1.00 for every message they receive. Would they appreciate the messages you send? If yes, go ahead and send. If no, find a different way to get that information to them … or reconsider whether it’s even necessary.

By cleaning out your inbox and keeping it clean, you will find that you spend less time overall on email. You'll also be more efficient and productive, not only on email but also on your other projects. You don't have to wait for your computer to crash, either. Start by scheduling a couple of uninterrupted hours to clean it out. Then put the techniques outlined here into action immediately, and enjoy the results.

ACTION STEPS

1. Schedule two to three hours (more if your inbox is particularly full) of uninterrupted time that you can use to empty your inbox. Focus on that task.
2. Make a commitment to yourself to keep your inbox clean by using some of the techniques outlined above.
3. Get into the habit of closing your email program and responding to messages at scheduled times that YOU control.

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More Information about the Coach:

The author of this Mini Coaching Lesson for WomensMedia is
Yara Nielsenshultz, Coach and Writing Consultant.

Check out additional information on Yara's Coaching Page.