Four Simple Steps to Tame Your Email Monster

Have you ever sat down at your computer, pressed the send/receive button on your email only to have it download a laundry list of emails that you know just by glancing at them aren’t important or urgent to growing your small business?   First you look at them.  You feel the pressure build up inside.  Then, in haste, you start deleting each and every email without opening them just to relieve the stress.

Unfortunately, that relief is only temporary.  However, there is good news.  You’re only four simple steps away from taming that email monster for good and creating focused time in your schedule regardless of the email system you’re using.

These four simple steps include a combination of automation and systemization:

1. Categorize your emails.  Not all emails need to go into your folder marked Inbox.  For example, start with emails that are non-urgent and that you can read weekly.

2. Create a folder in your email.  In this example, we’ll call your folder “Weekly Reading”.  Click once on your folder marked Inbox.  In most email systems, you only need to right click to see a popup window.  Click on New Folder and name the folder.  Once you implement the next step, any future non-urgent emails will be automatically transferred to that folder.

3. Transfer the email to the “Weekly Reading” folder by creating a rule.  When you receive an email that you would like automatically routed to the Weekly Reading folder, create a rule that assigns it to that folder.  For some email systems, it might be as easy as left clicking once on the designated email you want to transfer to that folder.  Then, right click your mouse where you will see a window pop up.  Click on “Create Rule” and assign it to that corresponding folder.  For instructions on your specific email system, conduct a search on Google.  You’ve completed the automation part. 

4.  Designate a recurring appointment on your calendar called “Weekly Reading”.  This time will be reserved for you to catch up on those emails that you just assigned to this folder.   This last step completes the systemization and reminds you to take action.

With a combination of automation and systemization, you will start managing your email overload.  What’s even better is that you will:

• Stay focused on what is most important to grow your small business
• Improve your productivity
• Relieve stress

One client estimated a time savings of 2.50 hours a day just by implementing this simple email management tip helping her achieve her personal and financial goals more effortlessly.  You will easily free up space on your calendar and tame that email monster.  Do you have a favorite tip to reclaim your email?  Share it with us!