Writer/director Nora Ephron once wrote that people used to say it was much simpler to return twenty emails than ten telephone calls. She went on, “Executives now return hundreds of e-mails every day, and life is not remotely simpler. They return e-mails day and night. They never go home from their e-mail.” (“I Just Want to Say: The World is Not Flat,” in I Remember Nothing and Other Reflections.)
Sound familiar?
I’ve felt this myself. I recently wrote that I try to plan my day before I check email. I think this is one way to be in charge of your email. You are making the decision on when to look at email.
I’ve continued to think about this, because I find myself buried in email. Here’s what I’ve been experimenting with:
- Turn off notifications. I keep saying this, because I continue to participate in meetings where someone’s phone beeps. It distracts me, and I know it distracts them, because they look down at their phone. I want you to have your full attention on what you are doing right now, whether it’s what you are thinking about or the person you are listening to. You’ll do better work. I promise.
- Unsubscribe from things you don’t read. You don’t need clutter in your email. So, simply pick five subscriptions, and unsubscribe. I just did this myself a few minutes ago.
- Use a timer. It’s easy to get lost in email, and before you know it, an hour has gone by. I find if I set my timer for 15 minutes, I process email quicker. And then I know I am done for the time being.
- If you have a backlog, sort your email. I keep going back to this post by Mark Forster, “How to Clear an Email Backlog.” It really helps. (I’m not sure his method works in gmail, though.)
- Here’s something else I keep saying: Don’t answer emails that upset you right away. I know, I know–the flood of emotion makes you FEEL like you have to reply immediately. But, you do have time to think it through. Write your response, in a document, not an email draft so you don’t send it by mistake. Give it a night, or at least an hour, then read it again. Have someone else outside the system, preferably not your spouse, read it. Edit to calm it down, then send (or, consider not sending).
How do YOU manage the email challenge? I’d love to hear your ideas.
Blessings,
Margaret
P.S. Learn more about managing email and the many other demands on your attention, and make the best use of your precious, limited time. Increase your influence without increasing your workload by registering for my Leaders Who Last Ministry Growth Series.