3 Tips for Taking Back Control of Your Inbox

Have you ever completely zeroed out your email inbox only to look up and see that within seconds, three new emails have popped into your clutter-free space?

I mean, is it just me, or does it seem like the more you try to control your inbox, the faster it fills back up? 

For many of us, email can be a big time-suck. The relationship we have with our inbox can be a love-hate one - often causing us unnecessary stress as we try to manage it.

The good news is that email clutter doesn't have to control you. Let's look at some solutions to help you take back command of your inbox.

Tip #1: Designate Certain Times

When dealing with emails, it is super important to manage the time you spend on them. Stopping to look at every email that comes in during the day is a productivity killer. And, even worse, if you check AND reply to each email immediately as it comes in, others will get the impression that you're always available to respond right away.  

One solution is to add blocks of time for processing emails to your daily schedule - as many as you reasonably need - and religiously stick to that time-table. And don't forget to protect your own free time by avoiding email during lunch breaks, while waiting in line, or during commercial breaks on tv.

Productivity experts also recommend not checking your email first thing in the morning, no matter how tempting it can be. Give yourself time to take care of what work is important to YOU first, then take care of what others need from you later in the day.

Tip #2: Aim for an Empty Inbox

Opening your email manager and seeing hundreds of emails can make anyone feel stressed out! Believe me, that's something that you want to avoid if at all possible. And, that's why processing your emails as you read them to eliminate as many as possible should be your first priority. 

When you don't actually do something with your emails when opening them, it's kind of like opening the letters you bring in from the mailbox - and then dumping them on the counter. (Anyone else guilty of that?:)

Eventually, the clutter piles up. The result is an unsightly mess that could have easily been avoided if you had made decisions about what to do with the mail each day as you opened it.

So, what kinds of decisions can you make to prevent a cluttered email inbox?

The first thing to do each day is to immediately delete emails that you don't need or have any use for. Often times these are "junk" emails, which we'll talk about in Tip #3. But they can also come from acquaintances and colleagues, and if the correspondence is not useful to you, hit delete right away.

Next, find the emails that can be attended to quickly - say a minute or two - and start with those. Processing this kind of correspondence might look something like this:

• Answering the emails that only require a quick reply off the top of your head.
• Putting project information into a productivity system you use like Asana or Trello.
• Moving reference material you'd like to keep into folders on your computer, the cloud, or a productivity app like Evernote.
• Adding upcoming meetings or event reminders to calendars or schedules.

Believe me, quickly moving those emails out of your inbox will give you a marvelous sense of satisfaction!

When you're finished with the easy ones, you can spend any time leftover in your email processing block on the emails that need more effort and attention.  

And then, once your time block is over, there are two things you can do with the emails still left in your inbox. First, you can just leave any unprocessed emails in your inbox where they can serve as a visual reminder of what still needs to be done and in what order.

If it's essential that your inbox is empty, you can always move the emails into other folders. They might be labeled something like "to do," "waiting on," or "processing." The key is to check back on these folders regularly (at least once a day) so that you are consistently working on processing them. Otherwise, you end up with clutter in those folders!

Tip #3: Manage the Junk

As I mentioned earlier, it's smart to eliminate as much junk mail as we can - whether it's delivered to our house, or it comes to us online. Unfortunately, it is also what makes up a considerable part of what we receive daily - in both places.

I don't know about you, but I detest junk mail, and I'm a stickler for doing what I can to eliminate it.

In order to cut down on unwanted emails from unwanted senders, it's essential to unsubscribe regularly and often. You can find the unsubscribe link or button (usually small and difficult to see) at the bottom of the email. Yes, it might include a few extra steps to complete the action - but it is worth it!  

If the sender is really annoying, and if your email service allows it, you can also mark the email as SPAM. Persistently following these steps is a life-savor for me and I can't recommend it enough!

Another thing you can do is to set up an alternate email address on a free email service like Gmail. Then, use when you place orders online or subscribe to shopping sites. Limiting all those marketing emails to one spot keeps your important inboxes clean and uncluttered. Just remember to go in and empty out that inbox regularly, too!

It's also important to be mindful when you are subscribing to online accounts. Always be on the lookout for any "subscribe" button that allows you to opt-in to their email list. If you have an option, don't check it. 

It's amazing how three simple habits can help get you on the road to taking back control of your email. By simply blocking email time, aiming to empty your inbox, and consistently removing the junk, you'll be amazed at how productive your day can feel!