How to Manage Emails as a Young Engineer

Inbox Zero: 6 Strategies That Actually Work Email, am I right? If you are like me, you probably have hundreds if not thousands of emails across multiple inboxes. You respond, you delete, and yet it seems like a Sisyphean task as the next day, your inbox is full again. My New Year's resolution was to reduce my work inbox to fewer than 500 emails and my personal inbox to below 100. I haven't accomplished that yet. So, I decided to ask AI for solutions and discovered practical strategies that significantly helped me reduce the number of emails in my inbox. 1. The 2-Minute Rule If responding takes less than 2 minutes, do it immediately. Don't let quick tasks pile up. 2. Schedule Email Time Blocks I check email just 3 times daily: Morning, midday and end of day. This prevents constant interruptions and reclaims 90+ minutes of focused work daily. 3. Use the "Touch-It-Once" Principle When you open an email, decide its fate immediately: • Respond • Delete • Archive • Delegate • Schedule for later action Tools that help me implement this: • Todoist: I forward emails requiring action to my task manager with one click • ClickUp: For emails that become projects, I create tasks directly from my inbox • Microsoft Teams: I've moved quick questions and daily communications from email to Teams chats No more marking as unread or revisiting the same messages repeatedly. 4. Create Smart Filters & Templates Set up filters for automatic sorting and use templates for repetitive responses. I reduced my email processing time by 40% this way. Some tools that transformed my workflow: • Gmail Filters: I automatically label emails by project and route newsletters to a "Read Later" folder • Microsoft Outlook Rules: Set up rules to move emails to dedicated folders • Copy'Em (MacOS): Saved templates for common responses (meeting scheduling, information requests) • Boomerang: Schedule emails to return to my inbox if no response within 3 days • Created a new inbox for general inquires and my admin helps monitor it. 5. Embrace the Weekly Reset Every Friday, I spend 20 minutes clearing out my inbox. This ritual prevents weekend anxiety and gives Monday a fresh start. I also use in-flight time to respond to messages; no Wi-Fi needed; they will go out when I get back online. 6. Ruthlessly Unsubscribe I dedicate 10 minutes monthly to unsubscribing from newsletters and promotional emails I no longer read. For each new subscription that comes in, I ask: "Does this provide real value?" If not, I unsubscribe immediately. Tools like Unroll.me have helped me identify and mass-unsubscribe from dozens of mailing lists I didn't even remember joining! What email management strategies work for you? Share in the comments! #ProductivityHacks #EmailManagement #WorkSmarter #ProfessionalDevelopment

As someone who has received over 100 emails a day for over 20 years, I thought I would share some top tips on how to manage a very full inbox while also getting on with all your meetings and the day job. 📧🗂️ Tip 1: Not all emails are equal - compartmentalize based on who is sending it and what they are asking. 📥🔍 Tip 2: You don't need to read the full email - especially if you are in a chain of emails. 📨📑 Tip 3: Often, you don't need to respond. People just want to show you an activity is going on so you can monitor progress. 📊👀 Tip 4: Build a file library system for storing emails. I use one for marketing, internal, finance, ops, and clients, with subfolders in each category. 🗄️📁 Tip 5: Use the filing system as soon as the action is taken. Move it out of your inbox and use your main inbox for items that need your action. ✅📤 Tip 6: The best time to tackle email management and reduce your inbox is first thing in the morning or later at night. That's because your email won't get topped up. To prevent being antisocial, you can mark items in your outbox to be sent at a more reasonable time for the receiver. ⏰📬 Tip 7: Don't live in your inbox. Get your head into the important things, especially projects that need to be delivered, so turn your email off when doing this. 🚫📵 Managing your inbox effectively can transform your productivity. What tips do you have for managing email overload? 💡📈

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...

If your inbox is always open, your focus is always split. Here’s a habit that instantly upgrades your productivity: Check your email 3 times a day. Max 15 minutes each. I have followed this method for over two years now, and I have never missed an email, fallen behind, or been called out for not being responsive enough. Sometimes, we feel we always have to have our inbox open to be in reactive mode. Not only is this non-productive, but it can also lead to early burnout. The better way is to block out 15 mins max, check only 3 times a day. That’s it. ▶️ Morning (scan for urgent items) ▶️ Midday (respond + delegate) ▶️ Afternoon (quick cleanup + prep for next day) It’s not about being unresponsive. It’s about being intentional about your time. Use Copilot to do the heavy lifting between check-ins: Ask it: ❓ “What emails since 10am actually require a decision or action from me?” ❓ “Summarize the top unread messages with deadlines or requests.” When you use AI tools like Copilot as your inbox scanner + triage partner, you can then stay focused and responsive on your terms. Doesn't your calendar deserve protected time? It starts with being intentional with your time management. What other calendar management tips have you tried that worked for you?

Here's how I'm able to stay on top of everything as a student and a business owner 1. Email Management: • Use folders in Gmail/Outlook • Inbox = action required • Once actioned, file away • Aim for inbox zero 2. Task Management: Microsoft To-Do • Different tabs for task categories • Add due dates to EVERYTHING (even if far in the future) • Sync with calendar 3. Paperless Office: • Invest in a good scanner with OCR • All documents searchable by text • No physical paperwork = less clutter, more findable 4. Calendar is King: • Everything goes on the calendar • Block out time for initial messages • Integrate Calendly (massive time-saver) 5. Regular System Maintenance: • Clean browser history • Check for updates • Occasional hard reset Your system should give you mental clarity. Find what works for you. Pro tip: OCR (Optical Character Recognition) turns scanned docs into searchable text. It's a game-changer for finding old documents fast. What's your productivity secret weapon? Share below! #ProductivityHacks #TimeManagement #WorkSmarter