Recently, I went out of town for a Friday and Saturday, and didn't have time to check email while away. That Sunday was really busy, so I went three whole days without reading my email. That Monday, I downloaded 222 messages, which might not seem like a lot until you realize it was the weekend and most of those were not related to my freelance writing business.
Weeding through emails, no matter how many, can be tedious, especially given the time it takes to respond to them. Here are some tips on how to tame the email monster.
First, go through and delete without reading the unneceesary or unwanted messages. For example, on the days I don't write a news file for a trade association, I trash unread all the daily news digests and e-newsletters related to that job. Ditto on all the come-ons from companies I've done business with but have no need to order again at this time.
Second, triage the remaining email by tending to the ones in which you are the expert. These would be the ones that focus on your at-home business, for instance.
Third, tackle the rest of the email by either placing in folders for response later (and be sure to have a follow-up plan to do this) or write the response then.
Fourth, set a time limit on how long you will work on email. Then turn off or close the program and focus on other tasks.
Keeping the email monster tamed can seem daunting, but by developing a system that works for you can be a life-saver.
Until next time,
Sarah
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