Tips to Reduce Time-Wasting in Emails

My email inbox was killing me. A few years back, I couldn't go more than about 15 minutes without checking my email. At work, I always had it open to see when a new notification came through. At home, I would check it on my phone regularly. I needed to see if a new referral came in. I needed to know if the prosecutor had responded. I needed to know if a client had made a payment. It was obsessive. Doing this at work was one thing. It was hard to focus on any task because I would consistently get distracted by emails, even the unimportant ones. Doing this at home was even worse. I could never fully enjoy the time I got to spend with my family. I tried a few different strategies but finally settled on one. At work, I keep my email closed, and depending on the day, I set aside 10 minutes at the beginning of every hour to check it and respond to the important ones. I then spend time at the end of my work day clearing out the unimportant emails from my inbox. In addition, and this was the hardest step of all, I removed all email apps from my phone. Some may say it was drastic, but it was the only thing that would work for me. I had to quit cold turkey. Occasionally it can be a pain when I'm in court and need to pull out my laptop to search for a specific email. But the payoffs are much more important. By placing even a small barrier between me and my email when away from my work, my mind can finally focus on what is in front of me, a beautiful life that I love living. *** For tips on how to run a successful law firm that you and your clients love, subscribe to my weekly newsletter "The Business of Criminal Law". The link is in the comments below. 👇 ***

By now, most first-year lawyers are settled in, staffed on various projects…and getting bombarded by emails. Email can be overwhelming. Here are a few tips for keeping up. 1. Create time blocks to review email Instead of working all day in your inbox, spend 10-15 minutes every hour reviewing and responding to messages. That way there’s less context switching and you’ll have longer blocks of time to do substantive work. 2. Use the 2-minute rule If an email reply will take 2 minutes or less, do it right away. Otherwise, try to defer it until you have a longer block of time set aside to respond to emails. But use your judgment. If you’re part of a team that’s preparing to close a transaction, time is of the essence, so you’ll likely have to be highly responsive to every message related to the deal. Regardless of the circumstances, if you decide to defer until later, it’s always a good idea to send a quick reply to set expectations about when your colleague or client will get a more substantive response from you. 3. Put it on your to-do list When you promise to send a follow-up email, don’t rely on memory alone. It will fail you, and you’ll fail to send the response. Have a more reliable system in place. 4. Extract key information from email Don’t use your email inbox as your project management software. If an email sets a deadline, put it on your calendar. Important document? Download it and store it in your file. Project request? Put it on your to-do list. Don’t let details slip through the cracks. *** Spending lots of time on email is more or less inevitable. So invest the time to create systems and processes that allow you to keep up while still finding plenty of time to do deep, substantive work that makes an impact.

Discover how mastering "Inbox Zero" can reclaim hours for strategic tasks and transform your productivity: The concept of "Inbox Zero" has emerged as a beacon of efficiency and stress reduction. But what exactly is "Inbox Zero"? Coined by productivity expert Merlin Mann, it’s not about having zero emails in your inbox at all times but rather about managing your inbox in a way that your mind remains free from the clutter and stress often associated with a mounting pile of unread messages. Here's a step-by-step guide that I've found incredibly effective: 1. Streamline with filters and labels ↳ Automatically sort emails into categories and label them by project, client, or urgency. 2. Schedule email processing times ↳ Set specific times to check your email, so it doesn't become a constant distraction. 3. Apply the two-minute rule ↳ If a task can be done quickly, do it immediately to prevent a backlog. 4. Practice the Four D's ↳ Delete, Delegate, Defer, and Do. This helps you prioritize and manage your emails effectively. 5. Unsubscribe from unnecessary lists ↳ Keep your inbox relevant by regularly auditing your subscriptions. 6. Use technology to your advantage ↳ Enhance your email efficiency with tools like Boomerang, and SaneBox, and Gmail-specific enhancements such as Mailstrom, Flow-e, and Hiver. Use Inbox When Ready to minimize distractions by accessing your inbox only during designated times. 7. Regularly review and maintain ↳ Set reminders to ensure your folders and labels are up to date. Achieving Inbox Zero is less about reaching an empty inbox and more about mastering your approach to email management. By implementing these steps, you not only clear out your inbox but also pave the way for a more productive and stress-free work environment. — 💬 I’d love to hear from you:  How do you manage your inbox? Share your tips or struggles below, and let's learn from each other.👇 ❤️ If you found this helpful, like this post. ♻️ Feel free to share with others who might benefit. 🔔 Want more content like this? Follow me Sandra Pellumbi #Productivity #Leadership #HighPerformance

The inbox is the bane of your existence. So, dump it. I have a mini-anxiety attack when I see people's inboxes. Thousands of emails, in some cases. Even inboxes in the hundreds make me nervous. Studies estimate between 45 and 85% of the emails we receive are junk. So, why are we saving them? Effective time management is critical to: → Systems → Leadership → Successful Entrepreneurship. Inboxes have been a historical time-suck forever, whether electronic or paper. How do we stop the inbox madness? Check this out. Follow time management guru Alan Lakein's formula (adapted for 2024): 1. Don't open an email until you have time to deal with it. 2. Try to touch each correspondence only once. Yes, one time. 3. Open it, then either deal with it or delete it. It won't be easy, but trying your best to adhere to this process is liberating. Now, here's a mind-bender... The one-screen inbox. I have a 24" monitor in my office. I try hard to keep my entire inbox contained on that screen. No scrolling. I don't always succeed, but following the formula above makes it doable. Other tips: → Categorize all emails: junk, phishing, etc. → Utilize email functions, like Outlook's "Focused" and "Other" inboxes. → Make effective use of the "Unsubscribe" button on emails. If your inbox is in a sorry state, set aside two hours next week to deal with it. The good news is that you can delete at least 45% of it without much thought. A manageable inbox might seem like a small piece of the puzzle as you take control of your business. Just like pennies make dollars, small elements of systems put YOU in control of your time, business, and life. #coaching #entrepreneurship #systems #timemanagement

"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

Want to do more in less time? Stop this bad habit. It's draining your time... It is context - switching. Your "quick check" of email between tasks? It's costing you 23 minutes of deep focus. Every time you proudly "multitask," you're actually forcing your brain through a complete reboot cycle. The real cost = 23 minutes to refocus after each interruption. I used to be proud of my multitasking skills. Until I tracked my time and found a shocking truth: I was finishing half as much work as I thought. ——— The solution? Task batching. It's a science-backed technique that groups similar tasks together to complete in dedicated time blocks. Here's why it works: Mental energy ↳ Your brain uses glucose when switching tasks. Batch similar activities to preserve it. Attention residue ↳ When you switch tasks, part of your focus stays stuck on the previous activity. Batching eliminates this problem. Flow state activation ↳ Working on similar tasks for 25+ minutes triggers your brain's flow state. Productivity jumps significantly. ——— How to start batching today: Bucket your tasks ↳ Communication (emails, calls, messages) ↳ Creative work (writing, designing, planning) ↳ Administrative (scheduling, filing, expenses) Assign specific time blocks ↳ Schedule 60-90 minute blocks for each category ↳ Match high-energy tasks with your peak performance times ↳ Protect these blocks strictly Create transition rituals ↳ 5 minutes between batches to reset ↳ Stand up, stretch, or practice quick deep breathing ↳ This signals to your brain that you're switching gears I now batch all my emails into 30-minute blocks: morning, noon, and evening. The result? I finish in half the time with twice the focus. P.S: Which task steals most of your focus during the day? Emails, meetings, or something else? ——— 🗞 If you like this, you'll love my newsletter, The Saturday Cha It'll help you make time for what matters. Read by leaders from Tesla, Oracle & other companies.

“I hope this email finds you…” I hope FEWER emails find all of you. But when they (inevitably) do find you, follow 3-21-0: • 3 email processing sessions daily • 21 minutes per session • 0 emails left (goal of inbox zero) I first learned of this method from author Kevin Kruse. Today, you’ll get a proven plan to execute it. — First, why follow 3-21-0? Batching. The most successful people of the future will be those who can focus and go deep into their work. Batching email limits distraction and protects non-batching times for valuable "deep work" activities. — How to execute 3-21-0: Block 3, 21-minute sessions on your calendar. Practical times: • 9:30-9:51 AM • 1:00-1:21 PM • 4:30- 4:51 PM Avoid checking email outside these times (if possible). Kill notifications. — Your digital environment is either producing clarity or complexity. Choose clarity with the 3-21-0 Method. ⬳ Find this useful? Repost to help your network too, and follow me for more.

There was a time when getting my inbox to zero was an actual goal of mine. It was specific, it was measurable, it was attainable, it felt relevant (getting back to people quickly is important to me), and it was time-bound. But it was a terrible goal. Truly terrible. One that with the benefit of hindsight I can say I never should have had. A study by the University of California, Irvine found that it takes an average of 23 minutes and 15 seconds to get yourself back on track after being interrupted. TWENTY THREE MINUTES! And every ding of an email is just that, a distraction, even if it's an important one. If you haven't become intentional about time blocking your day, try this to get started with an easy (but significant!) step. Ready? Here goes. Turn off your email. Right now. That's it! You can do it! You really can :) Then plan out 30 minutes in the morning, mid-day, and the end of the day to check emails. You'll be able to get back to everyone within just a few hours and not only will you have time to think, to plan, to do deep work that simply cannot happen when it takes 23 minutes to get back on track every time an email comes in, you may even find that responding to them all at once in blocks is a lot more efficient in an of itself. What are your thoughts on this? Tell me when you have your time blocked to reply to LI messages :). #intentionality #intentionalityinbusiness #professionaldevelopment #timemanagement #timemanagementtools #timeblocking #performanceimprovement