Did you know that we get on average 364 emails a week? 205 billions are sent every day and this number is expected to reach 246 billion by the end of 2019.
Email is the thing that now causes us the most problems in our working lives. Whilst there is no doubt that it is an amazing communication tool, the volume of email has got out of hand. Email is a disruptor and a distractor which according to Bob Proctor, a productivity guru, can hamper your productivity by over 500%. He states that you should work from one thing at a time and see it thought to conclusion rather than jump from one task to another (which is what email encourages).
So here are the 7 more effective habits to control your email stress.
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Don’t be enslaved by email
Don’t forget that you are in control of your email. You can choose to open it or not.
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Put your email into perspective
How often do we get life-changing emails? The reality is that is we disconnect from emails for a couple of days the majority of things can wait.
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Choose your time to reduce email stress
Why not set dedicated times to check your email rather than always leaving your inbox open? It is a much more efficient and less distracting way of managing your emails and will enable you to focus and concentrate on other tasks.
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File/save important stuff right away
This might save hours of looking for an email at a later date, and will help you stay on top of things you have actioned.
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Process and purge
Aim to delete emails as soon as you have dealt with them. Sort your emails in to important and urgent and work on the high priority emails first.
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Is your inbox your virtual attic?
Are you keeping lots of things in your inbox that you don’t need? If you haven’t looked at them for over a year = would you miss them if you got rid of them? Your inbox is exactly the same as all the items sitting in your loft at home.
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Stop panicking
if someone needs you urgently they will usually try and get you on the phone. Just because is instantaneous doesn’t mean your need to respond immediately.
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