4 Strategies to Get Your Inbox in Gear Before It’s Too Late
I’ve invited Elizabeth Sheils to lend her expertise today. Elizabeth Sheils is the co-founder of Rock Paper Coin, the first software platform to bring together wedding planners, couples, and vendors into one system for managing and paying contracts and invoices. Elizabeth is also a lead wedding planner with award-winning firm Bridal Bliss, where she manages the Seattle team. She was recently recognized by Special Events in its Top 25 Event Pros to Watch series.
It’s hard to imagine life without email. Nowadays, it has become a crucial tool for working professionals of all types. As an event professional, you likely rely on it for the majority of your internal and external communications. Yet, as intuitive as checking and responding to emails may seem, going through a pile of unread messages can be quite daunting.
How often have you struggled to quickly find an email that you needed to reread or forget to follow up with a client or vendor partner? You’re not alone! Many people find it incredibly tricky to stay on top of their inboxes. However, with smart and mindful email management, you can keep your important messages from falling through the cracks and boost your efficiency and productivity.
Ready for some clever strategies to stop email overload? Let’s dive in.
Organize emails using folders
In reality, your inbox should contain your real-time action items only. The rest of the messages should go into specific folders, just as you would organize papers in filing cabinets. This technique keeps your inbox tidy and helps you retrieve essential information with ease.
When creating a folder structure, consider your organizing needs and preferences. This will help you commit to filing away each and every email. Ask yourself: Would I like to sort emails by year or by categorical folders (i.e., Payroll, Client Work, Finances, etc.)? Of course, these top-level folders can be further broken down into subfolders as necessary for further organization.
Weed through new emails
After you’ve successfully established a filing system, it’s time to take a look at how you handle incoming emails. The first thing you need to do is get rid of junk emails such as ads, subscriptions, and other promotional content that aren’t useful for your business.
Once done, you can focus on the emails that need your attention. Try to reply immediately whenever you can so you can file the message away and have one less thing to worry about. If you need to get back to the sender at a later date, let them know you’re working on it and keep the message in your inbox until you’ve responded.
Designate time for email management
Constantly checking your email is a waste of your precious time and can also distract you from more important work. The solution? Set a daily time for browsing your messages. The best time for this is really up to you. Personally, I manage my inbox in the morning to keep it as clear as possible, then allot two hours midday to catch up and do a final inbox sweep in the evening to give myself a head start (and hopefully a clean inbox) for the next morning.
Use canned responses to be more efficient
Canned responses have a bad rep for sounding generic or robotic. However, when crafted carefully, they can allow you to quickly respond to emails without losing your personal touch! There’s no need to reinvent the wheel. Customizable templates can save you a significant amount of time and effort if you use them correctly.
And there you have it! These four tips are invaluable for developing a solid email management routine that keeps you out of your inbox and in your zone of genius. But remember: no matter how great your email management system is, it won’t help unless you stick to it. So if you want to remove email stress from your life, stay focused and committed!