Email Overload … An Email Hoarder

I have at least 7 current email addresses. That doesn’t count the many I have let expire, forgotten about, or completely ignore. In these emails, I get hundreds of emails daily. Of these, many go to trash without even looking past the tag lines. Of the scores I decide to keep, I file in a folder, trying to keep them organized.

So many things come across our path. But what do we decide to read,keep, trash, ignore? What will it take to make us ‘stop the scroll’? Stop the scroll. This is a phrase connected to Facebook or Instagram. We scroll, and scroll, and scroll some more. And then something grabs our attention and we stop the scroll.

With emails, I stop the scroll and file them. But now the problem is getting back to the emails and discovering what I really have. You might say I am an email hoarder. I have so many files/emails that I don’t really even know what I have.

There are several hacks out there that help overcome this dilemma. Let me share a few.

1 … don’t check your email until after 11am. It will enable to you focus on important tasks first. Getting important things done helps you feel enter and more productive.

2 … limit the number of times you check email. Start with 2 or 3 times. This frees up time to focus.

3 … remove the email apps from page 1 of your phone. Don’t stare at that notification number all day.

4 … turn off notifications . Again, focus on what is at hand, and not looking at the pop ups.

5 … create a folder for ‘action’. This will get the emails you need to respond to in a folder and not hangin in the inbox.

Some other email hints …

1 … use the subject line to summarize not describe. This will help your email get read quicker.

2 … make action request clear.

These are just some. What do you do to help with email overload?

Now, I have to go work through the folder marked ‘leadership’ and see what’s there.