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9 Email Productivity Secrets That Will Get Your Life Back
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Organize your emails
Create the following 2 folders:
- Require Action besides simply responding.
- Require Response. File emails here that you are unable to respond to immediately.
All other emails, once read, should go directly to their appropriate permanent files using rules.
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Unsubscribe
Unsubscribe from every list that doesn’t offer solid value for your business.
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Turn off email notifications
Interrupting a task with notifications leads to a loss of concentration and a decline in productivity levels.
Feel free to set up an autoresponder re-directing all urgent matters to your phone.
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Keep your responses short
- What’s the main point of your email?
- What action do you want the recipient to take?
- What critical facts do you need to get across in your email?
Give yourself a limit to the length of your response and stick to it.
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Use email rules
Rules are automatic actions your email software will take depending on what guidelines you’ve set up.
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Set a time
Choose a couple of times during the day when you’ll deal with your email.
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Empty your inbox
Make sure you bring your inbox count down to zero so you can start fresh the next morning.
Any messages that still need to be dealt with should be either moved or responded to.
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Email signatures
Create email signatures ready to go to save time and annoyance when you’re composing or responding to emails.
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Key Ideas
Ignore your inbox when you wake up
Responding to emails as soon as you receive a notification gives others the impression that you’re at their beck and call. It also prevents you from reflecting on your own priorities for...
Empty your inbox daily
- Do. If the email is actionable and takes under two minutes, then do the task ASAP.
- Delegate. Forward the right tasks to the right people.
- Defer. Reply to the message at a better time.
- Delete emails that are not important or that you can delegate.
- File. Add messages that contain information you will need to your archives.
Stop CC’ing everyone
To avoid filling the email box of staff members, only CC the relevant parties. Ask your team to respond to you individually instead of using the reply-to-all button.
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Key Ideas
Adopt GTD Methodology in Email
think of every email you get as either something you need to take action on, track, or refer to later.
Every time you open a conversation, decide right away what to do with it. D...
Create an Email Productivity System
There’s no “definitive” system. The best framework is the one that works for you. Ideally, it should model your work style, supporting the way you work. Bonus points if it’s low-maintenance, fast to set up, and adaptable as your work changes.
Some people like to use folders with specific actions (do, delegate, reply), while others prefer the deadline-driven approach (today, tomorrow, next week).
Power Up Your Email with Plugins
Some examples:
- Undo Send: for when you accidentally press the send button.
- Canned Responses: create a template that you can reuse with canned responses.
- Send and Archive: Automatically archive an email after replying to it using the send and archive button.
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Key Ideas
Checking Email
- you may decide that you'll only check your email before lunch, and at the end of the day.
- you can also reserve time to re...
Checking your email regularly...
... during the day can be an effective way to keep your inbox at manageable levels.
However, the constant interruption and distraction that comes from it can dramatically lower your productivity, and disrupt your ability to enter a state of flow when working on high value projects.
Reading Email
- Try using the "Two-Minute Rule" when you read your mail: if the email will take less than two minutes to read and reply to, then take care of it right now, even if it's not a high priority.
- For emails that will take longer than two minutes to read or respond to, schedule time on your calendar, or add this as an action on your To-Do List , to do later.