As useful as emails are, they are sure to reduce productivity. Not only does endless email bore you and leave you stuck in a loop of endless replies, but the stress of having to sift through both important messages and junk is enough to make you avoid your inbox altogether. There's a reason why “answering emails” is always the example I use for a tedious but important task when I explain more. complex, detailed productivity methods.
But there are also smaller techniques that can be applied directly to email management. To stay on top of your work, school, and personal communications, you need a productivity plan, but it doesn't have to be intensive: you can try simple “touch” rules for managing your inbox.
One touch rule
Start rethinking how you approach each email you receive and consider each one your immediate priority. It's important to note that I only mean that email itself is a priority; if you think about it too much, you will quickly become confused. You do not have to complete any of the tasks described in it when it arrives, but you do need to open it. The one-touch rule is similar The two-minute rule of productivity Thus: a task that takes less than two minutes to complete should be completed immediately.
Open the email, reply to it, and either delete or archive it, depending on whether you need it later. If it doesn't require a response, even better. This method is best for people who receive a lot of emails that don't need to be answered, such as updates for all staff. The goal is to touch it once, rather than returning to it repeatedly and wondering whether you'll react or deal with it, or rather than procrastinating, never opening it and not being aware of its contents (or even its existence) when you really need to know what it says. Open it, review the information, provide feedback if necessary, and be done with it.
Two touch rule
If you tend to have a lot of emails that require a response and the one-tap rule isn't working, you can move to the two-tap method to clear your mind and increase productivity. When you first touch an email, decide whether you need to respond to it right away (doing it with one touch) or whether it can or should be answered later in the week.
What are your thoughts so far?
Use your email service's flagging or snoozing features to categorize them so they're easily accessible to you when you're ready to respond. Your first touch still opening it right away is the key. Having emails pile up can be tiring, but opening them immediately will help you keep your inbox organized. Setting a specific time to respond to non-urgent messages will also allow you to be more productive because you'll know you'll get it done and won't feel like it's weighing you down.
Be sure to schedule time throughout the week to review flagged emails. Try building a 3-3-3 list to manage your tasks by assigning one of three medium or small tasks to open all saved messages.
