Email and the illusion of control at work

The Email Illusion: Why Productivity Is More Than Just Sending Messages Trapped in the Inbox Do you feel like you’re always racing against your inbox? At 8:00 PM, after a day of meetings, you tackle emails. The more you respond, the more messages flood in. You close your laptop drained—not because you accomplished something meaningful. According to McKinsey, the average professional spends 11 hours a week managing emails—over a quarter of the workweek. That’s time consumed by tasks that may feel urgent but often lack importance. Imagine what you could achieve if even half of that time were redirected to strategic thinking, creativity, or meaningful collaboration. Clearing our inbox feels productive, but is this cycle keeping us busy at the cost of meaningful work? The Hidden Costs of Constant Connection Email overload wastes time and drains focus and creativity. Employees check email every six minutes, fragmenting focus and causing fatigue. Email crowds out deep work—the kind that drives innovation. Cal Newport’s Deep Work highlights how shallow tasks like email limit deep thinking. Rushing through emails increases mistakes. A Ponemon Institute study found email-related errors account for 26% of data breaches, showing how haste can have serious consequences. The Illusion of Busyness Organizations perpetuate the “email illusion,” equating busyness with success. Fast responses and full inboxes are mistaken for productivity. A leader clearing their inbox each morning may neglect priorities. This culture values activity over impact, eroding engagement. As Peter Drucker reminds us, “Efficiency is doing things right; effectiveness is doing the right things.” Breaking Free from the Email Cycle Escaping the email trap starts with redefining productivity. It’s not about sending more emails but communicating with clarity and intention. Leaders should model thoughtful practices, use tools like Microsoft Teams for updates, and protect time for deep work. Organizations can adopt “no-email” hours to prioritize focus over responsiveness. By cultivating a culture where outcomes—not busyness—define success, leaders empower their teams to work smarter. Reclaiming the Power of Focus For individuals, managing email begins with boundaries. Instead of reacting to notifications, check your inbox at set times—morning, midday, and afternoon. Pause before hitting “send” and ask: Is this email necessary, or could a conversation be better? Use tools like filters and AI to reduce distractions. These changes help you reclaim time and focus on what matters. Time for What Matters Ultimately, email is a tool—not a measure of success. Productivity is about meaningful contributions, not inbox zero. Shifting focus to impact reclaims energy and purpose. “It is not enough to be busy. The question is: what are we busy about?” – Henry David Thoreau Perhaps it’s time to reflect on that—not just to redefine work, but to reclaim what matters in our lives. #Focus

Hey lawyers! If your inbox is flooded with unread emails and it’s making you feel anxious, you’re not alone. Let’s talk about how you can manage that email overwhelm. You almost always have a couple of options when you are feeling some big feelings: change the circumstance or change the thought. So, what does it mean to change the circumstance? In this context, it means doing something to take control of your inbox. Here are a few ideas: 1️⃣Get emails out of your inbox and into folders based on priority or project. This keeps your inbox from feeling cluttered and helps you know exactly where to look when you need something. 2️⃣Turn off notifications. Constant alerts make you feel like you have to check every email as it comes in, which is exhausting and distracting 3️⃣Block specific times on your calendar for going through emails. This helps you focus on other tasks without feeling like you’re missing out on something important. 4️⃣Ask for some help lessening your overall workload or delegate some things. But sometimes, changing the circumstance isn’t possible, or it might not fully reduce your anxiety. That’s where option two comes in: changing the way you are thinking about the current circumstance. For example, instead of thinking, 'There’s too much here; I can’t handle it,' try shifting to 'I can focus on what’s most important now. The rest can wait.' This shift helps you feel more in control of your day. Or, if you’re worried, 'If I don’t respond immediately, they’ll think I’m not on top of things,' try telling yourself, 'I am allowed to prioritize. My responses are valuable and thoughtful when I take time.' And instead of, 'There might be something urgent in here that I’ll miss,' remind yourself, 'If it’s truly urgent, they’ll call or follow up.' It’s a great reminder that you don’t have to be on-call to everything at all times. So, next time you’re feeling overwhelmed by your inbox, remember that you have options. Change the circumstance, change the thought—or a little of both. No matter what you choose, you’re inevitably choosing to building more control and calm into your day.

Your inbox is a TO-DO list made by OTHER people. 3 ways to reclaim control of it. For context: I'm a 26-year-old solopreneur. I have 2,641 'unreads' right now. I don't have a VA managing it. The majority of my emails? - Project comms - Service enquiries - Speaker/PR deals - Back & forth with clients - Invoices and meeting invites And the odd agency bro selling me '10 leads/week'. (Nobody escapes those). I have NO desire to hit inbox 0. Because if I did, it'd just go up again. It's like running up a downward escalator. Fun when I was 7. But not anymore. The only thing you get? KNACKERED. Here's a better way to manage the inbox... 1/ Set clear expectations If your inbox is full of: “Did you get my last email?” “Just bumping this up!” “Any update?” That’s not *their* fault. It’s yours. You haven’t told people how you work. So they assume you’re ignoring them. Fix it with one simple move: → Add a response signal to your email signature. Examples: “I check emails at 10am & 4pm each day” “Please allow 48 hours for a reply — async working” We live in a world of: Different time zones Remote teams Flexible hours Be clear with how you work. It helps people know when to expect a reply. Set your boundaries buddy. 2/ Schedule your replies Replying to emails at 2am might *feel* productive. But it sends the wrong signal: - You’re always online - There’s no boundary between work/life - People can also contact you at crazy hours Simple fix: Write it now. Schedule it later. 3/ Stop replying to everything You don’t need to reply to every email. British people are way too polite. I just block spam and delete irrelevant stuff. No second-guessing. I'm an adult. I have free will. May as well use it. Also... If you don't have a personal relationship with the other person and it's an 'action' email, skip small talk. "Hi Becky, I hope you're well and had a great weekend. Did you get up to anything fun?" Spoiler: Becky don't care. (She'll just say, "Hope you're well too") Here’s what Becky actually wants: - A decision - A deadline - A next step That’s it. Every extra line for someone to read and reply to is you taking time away from THEIR day. Think about that. Don't make them work harder. Also, your KPIs don't include: How many emails you send a day How fast you reply to emails How long your emails are The more time you spend on emails, the more time you lose from doing the important work. Your job isn’t to pass bricks around. It’s to build the house. REMEMBER: Email is just a tool to help you do the work. Don’t confuse it with the work itself. Okay folks, How are we tackling the email issue? What's your approach? Lemme know down in da comments...

You have more control over your email than you think. A massive inbox of unread messages feels stressful if you feel under pressure to respond promptly. But what if you reset expectations about how and when you’ll respond? You can reduce that stress and bad conscience. A former colleague of mine loved the phrase, “Your bad planning is not my emergency.” He added a disclaimer to his emails, making it clear that his inbox wasn’t his task list, and he would respond based on his own priorities. At first, you might think this sounds arrogant, but I found it helpful—people respond much better to clear boundaries. I respected him for working strategically, and protecting his time accordingly. It stopped me from sending unnecessary emails and encouraged me to call him when I really needed his input, which always led to productive and enjoyable conversations. Real emergencies don’t come via email — if it’s urgent, people call. So pause, and ask yourself: does this really need an immediate response? Likely not. Treat your inbox as a collection of information and opportunities, not demands. If an unpleasant email pops up, take a deep breath. Responding thoughtfully, versus reacting spontaneously is important —especially if your emotions are triggered. Then, close your inbox and focus on what you actually had planned for today. I often think of my ex-colleague and his disclaimer when I’m about to dive into my inbox. It reminds me to stop and ask - what will move me closer to my goals today (unlikely to be drowning in email). Happy Monday! Image credit: Liz and Mollie from No Hard Feelings: Emotions at Work 2019.

From a Consultant Neurosurgeon in the UK: "I just spent 2 hours answering emails." "At the end, I had more unread emails in my inbox than when I started." Emails are a necessary part of our job. But through my online coaching with doctors and surgeons, I see the same pattern being repeated: - Drip-feeding emails throughout the day. - Anxiety about the number of unread emails. - Building a reputation of being "email responsive" (and so getting more emails). With more and more doctors getting burnt out from piling admin work, here are a few strategies to manage your emails. 1. Unsubscribe from any automated trust emails you never read. This cuts your inbox number by about a third off the bat. 2. Create folders to organise emails instead of leaving them to sit in your inbox. Folder titles can be: reference; Friday review; patients waiting for surgery; done by the end of the week; or research projects. Your imagination is the limit here. Use what works for you. *Folders such as "Friday review" only work if you actually review them every Friday. 3. Time block 2-3 hours over a week to process your inbox. Don't open your emails because you're sitting at your desk or are bored. And don't open your emails unless you are prepared to do step 4. 4. Touch emails once. Once an email is opened there are 3 outcomes. - Delete. - Move to your calendar as a meeting, or to a reference file from step 2. - Reply. If you reply, be conscious that writing an email is the main source of receiving emails, which is more work for you. So aim to write concluding emails that end the chain. Following this, once an email is opened it doesn't get opened again. It gets processed and so only "touched once". 5. There is no such thing as an "urgent email". Emails by definition are not time-critical. No one will die if you don't check your inbox. So don't treat them like they are. 6. Don't email at home. This blurs work/home barriers. You wouldn't call your children's school to "check what's happening" during an operation. So why is it OK to check in with work when you're at home with your family? If you follow steps 1-5 your inbox will be under control and you won't need to think about them at home. Remember. Email is triage. Not work. What systems do you use to keep your inbox under control? Please share them in the comments. I'm always open to new ideas.

Are those 5,000 unread emails really a badge of honor, or are they stealing your peace and productivity? After decades of guiding executives and teams, I've noticed how a chaotic inbox often signals deeper patterns of procrastination and stress. That red notification bubble isn't just a number—it's a daily distraction keeping you from what matters most. In my latest video, I share why I'm compulsive about email management and how it's served me well as a leader. Learn practical strategies to take control of your inbox and create the mental space needed for innovation and strategic thinking. This isn't just about decluttering—it's about owning your time and setting clear priorities. Watch now to discover how claiming control of your inbox can transform your leadership impact. https://lnkd.in/gxDBVTpS #TimeManagement #ProductivityHabits #LeadershipEffectiveness #WorkplaceWellness #DigitalOrganization

"Do you ever feel like your inbox dictates your day?" I used to start my day swamped by emails. Urgent emails drowning out what’s important, pushing real priorities to the background. The worst part? Re-reading emails without ever clearing them. I was making two big mistakes: 🚫 Letting my inbox set my agenda. 🚫 Using it as a makeshift, terrible to-do list. If this sounds familiar, you're not alone. I've been in that never-ending cycle of email chaos. The breakthrough came with Inbox Zero. Not aiming for an empty inbox, but for control and focus. Here’s how I turned things around: Todoist: Became my go-to for organizing priorities. Mornings: Reserved for meaningful work, not emails. Emails: Checked only during scheduled blocks of time. This helped me concentrate on what matters for our clients at Guidehouse, delivering more value in less time. With life getting busier and time moving faster I realized it's not about getting more done It's about getting the right things done If you're stuck in email hell, here's my tip: You have the power to change that narrative. It all starts with not letting your inbox dictate your day. P.S. How many unread emails are sitting in your inbox? — Found this helpful? Follow Wyatt Sterusky I post regular insights on HR Tech and Professional Development #Productivity #TimeManagement #PersonalDevelopment