Are emails taking over your life?

Clients that I have coached have often cited being overwhelmed by emails as a cause of stress in the workplace. Sound familiar?

It is very hard to be productive and creative whilst reading emails that are often of no relevance to you. Now more than ever we are inundated with emails from friends, strangers, colleagues and they not only clog up your inbox, they also waste your valuable time as you sift through to find the emails that are actually relevant.

How often have you missed a vital email which actually contains much needed information? If so then my top 10 tips below will get you organised:

1. Respond to emails as you read them, that way you only read them once. If you require further information, call the person directly and get what you need.

2. Set aside 15-30 minutes a day to sift through your emails.

3. Be ruthless and delete emails that are not relevant.

4. Spend a little time organising your email facility, so you can swiftly put emails into different folders.

5. If you have colleagues that CC you on everything, when it is not necessary then kindly ask them not to.

6. If you have an alert facility on your computer, iphone or blackberry turn it off. Choose a time when is convenient for you to read your emails, rather then being sidetracked from what you are doing.

7. Resist the temptation to read or respond to emails when not at work unless absolutely necessary. You may think this is harmless, but it makes it more difficult to turn off from work and be in the present moment.

8. Think about spam in the same way as you do junk mail which you receive through the post. Most of us hardly notice this type of mail and just put it straight in the recycling bin.

9. Try to resist the temptation to read emails that contain jokes or are chain emails as they not only distract you from working productively, but also eat into your time often without you realising.

10. Think before you press send. If you have written an email in haste, put it in your draft section and re-read it later in the day before you send it.

“Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that is the stuff life is made of.” -
Benjamin Franklin