As we are well aware, Teams and Slack, among others, seem to have taken over our work lives. In many cases for the better, but in some cases not so much. As such, it’s safe to say that email is definitely still part of our every day work life. But just because it’s there, doesn’t mean it should hinder productivity or other daily tasks.

Here are some quick tips on how to manage your inbox and NOT let email consume your day.

  1. Don’t check email first: Don’t look at your email first thing in the morning. Do something more productive or beneficial for your health. You will feel so much better!
  2. Disable notifications: To avoid various disruptions, hit the off button on your email notifications. Anything urgent surely isn’t going to be emailed.
  3. Schedule reply times: Create set times to check emails. Don’t just look to look. Many productivity-minded leaders set aside 2 or 3 times a day to dedicate to answering messages. It’s a great idea.
  4. Apply the 80/20 rule: Typically, 80% of your emails can wait. Only about 20% usually demand your attention. Be mindful of falling into the trap of spending time on worthless messages just to clean out the inbox.
  5. Unsubscribe and then unsubscribe again: When was the last time you opened many of those newsletter emails? If it’s been over a month or two, it’s time to say goodbye.

These are just a few tried-and-true ways to make sure you conquer your work email Monday through Friday. Give them a try and see how your productivity levels soar!