Do you have more than a hundred unread emails?
Do you have more than two hundred?
Are you under threat of being swept away by an avalanche of demands to answer all of these messages?
You are not alone, it happens, and the good news is, there are things to do, even if your emails are accumulating as you read this.
First, everyone recognizes emails are a great tool for sharing information. However deciding what is important, deciding what you should keep, and how to manage the pressure and demands of emails fortunately is a learned skill.
Slowing the flow into your inbox
Unsubscribe from advertising, newsletters you no longer read, and anything else you never look at – If you are being overwhelmed by unnecessary emails from organizations and businesses, it is easy to unsubscribe to them. Take care to note the originating email address to be sure you are not being phished.
Ask for a printed receipt when making a purchase instead of getting an emailed one – A small change and reduce the number of new emails and the inevitable supplementary emails you receive from that organization.
Use Email Filters and Folders – For example, with Gmail accounts setup filters in to automatically sort emails from colleagues into a “Work” folder, and marketing emails into a “Promotions” folder.
Prioritize Emails – Use the stars or labels in Gmail to mark emails from important clients, family, or your boss as “high priority.” This will make them easier to locate and help prevent accidental deletion.
Use Filters for Spam – Use your email’s spam filter to automatically detect promotional or irrelevant emails so they never even appear in your inbox.
Talk to people in person or on the phone and limit long email threads – Emails are not recognized by many as an effective method of communication, don’t use emails to replace in place of better methods of communication especially if an email thread is getting too long or off-topic.
What to keep/what to delete
Only use folders for the information you need and periodically clean them out – If you have a great system with folders for everything, make sure you delete ‘old, expired” information.
Don’t save everything – While this might seem an unnecessary comment, I have seen people who save all the emails they have been sent, remember an email is only useful IF you look at it again, and IF you can find where you put it.
Delete specific email senders/delete very old emails – It is possible with most email accounts to sort and delete emails originating from a specific source or emails that were sent before a particular date. This can be useful if you have potentially hundreds of old emails to purge.
Be Ruthless with Deleting – If you receive an email that doesn’t serve you or your tasks, hit the delete button immediately rather than letting it sit in your inbox. If you are like me, the vast majority of your emails will never be looked at again, don’t keep them.
Managing your time
Set Specific Times to Check Emails and Send Responses – Many people recommend only checking your emails at regular intervals two or three times during the day. They also suggest turning off email notifications, particularly on your cell phone to avoid being distracted throughout the rest of your daily activities. Additionally, realize few people expect you to respond to their emails “instantly;” allowing yourself to break this self-imposed pressure will increase your ability to focus.
Avoid multitasking – During this dedicated time, focus solely on email management. This helps you make progress without distractions.
Use the “Two-Minute Rule” or “One Touch” email – If an email asks for a quick response, such as confirming a meeting time, reply immediately, update your calendar, and then delete it; or if taking care of the request can be done within two minutes, do it and delete it. If you need it again know most trash folders can be set to retain deleted emails for 30 days before automatically emptying.
Clear Your Inbox Regularly – Once a day, as a regular job function, go through your inbox, delete irrelevant emails, and move actionable items to folders like “Follow Up” or “To Do.”
You have limited time, prioritize and focus – Instead of trying to clear everything, focus on identifying and responding to the most urgent or important emails first (e.g., work-related emails or messages from close friends and family). Realize you do not need to read every single email. If they’re not urgent or important, delete them and move on. You’re not required to respond to everything.
Create Email Templates – If you frequently send the same message, create a template for responses like, “Thank you for your email, I will get back to you shortly.” Any time savings you can use emailing will help you stay on top of your incoming.
Set Email Expectations – Use the automatic reply feature during busy times, such as: “I check emails twice a day and will try to respond within 24 hours.”
Use the “Search” Function – Frequently a source of frustration and anxiety is searching for an email you know is there but can find. Instead of scrolling through your inbox for a specific message, use Gmail’s search bar with keywords like “invoice,” “meeting,” or the sender’s name.
Use Labels, Flags, and Tags – Label emails with “Urgent,” “Pending,” or “To Read” so you can easily prioritize what needs your attention first.
Don’t write a novel when responding – Instead of writing long emails, keep them concise; emails aren’t conversations so writing short and concise sentences will work and be appreciated because everyone is likely as busy as you.
Helpful Hints
How do you eat an elephant … “One bite at a time.” – Set expectations for yourself and acknowledge you will not solve your email dilemma quickly, but by doing something about it every day you will get ahead of the incoming flow is the key to winning and you will. For example, by setting realistic goals such as clearing 40 emails every day.
Diffuse the stress you are feeling about the number of emails you have – If you find yourself getting stressed while going through emails, take short breaks. Breathe, stretch, or take a walk to reset your mind before continuing.
Use Email Management Tools – There are apps to help you stay on top of your emails better, use Google, ChatGPT, or other sources to find them.
These are not my ideals, these are ideas I have gleaned from a variety of sources, I have used all of them because there are times when I feel overwhelmed the frequency and amounts of emails I receive on a daily basis.
My advice is to do what you can to slow the flow of emails you are receiving, make a plan of what to keep and what to delete, take control of the time you have available with distractions or attempting to multi-task, and remember that progress is what you are aiming for and even if you only manage to delete one more email than you receive every day, it is only a matter of time before you tame your avalanche.
Good luck,
Paul