Emails Can Be a Drain on Resources - Here Are Some Tips

How many emails do you get in a day?

For me, some days I can get close to 30, even 50.

That is a lot of emails.

And depending on each one, crafting a response, answering a question, you name it, it can take a long time. Emails can be a drain on resources because they can require a lot of time to sort through and respond to.

As business owners and entrepreneurs, we already have full days without factoring in emails. But it’s a huge part of connecting with your customers, your clients, your network, etc. So how do you balance the incoming emails with your already full day of trying to get through your to-do list?

It’s something I struggle with, even now, and it’s something almost all the entrepreneurs I’ve spoken with struggle with.

To help you manage your emails more efficiently and reduce the strain on your resources, here are some tips:

Set aside a specific time each day to check and respond to your emails.

By building a set time for email checks into your day, it means you don’t have to constantly have the tab open, pulling your attention away from your other tasks throughout the day.

Prioritize emails by responding to the most important messages first.

Not every email needs to be answered THAT second, prioritizing your emails means you’re able to clear the high-level, actually urgent things and then filter through the remaining emails as you see fit.

Unsubscribe to email newsletters and promotional emails that you no longer need.

Newsletters and promo emails are great (like Signal’s, wink wink, nudge nudge) but they’re only great if you’re getting the value you want and need from them. If they no longer bring value or make sense to you, it’s time to click unsubscribe.

Set up rules or filters to sort your emails into categories.

Folders, tags, and filters are your friends. Use them. It brings some calm to the chaos that can be Gmail, Outlook, or whatever you use for your emails!

Make sure you are using an email client that has archiving capabilities.

Deleting emails is cathartic, but there are some that you may need to come back to, so ensure that you have the ability to both delete AND archive.

Automate repetitive tasks, such as responding to customer inquiries.

Automation station, at Signal we’re all aboard. Automating responses can help in ensuring that customers receive the information they need quickly and feel heard.

I get asked very similar questions on the regular, so having some type of ‘canned response’ that you can then quickly edit/alter to fit the client’s specific need is a great way to save time!

Utilise keyboard shortcuts to save time when responding to emails.

It’s okay to take shortcuts when it comes to your keyboard. You’re already working hard, very hard, so work smart too. It’s not there to trick you, it’s there to help you. It cuts down time in your responses which means you can get through emails more quickly and more efficiently.

Make use of the "Snooze" feature, if available, to help manage your email inbox.

Remember earlier when we talked about setting a specific time for email responses? Well, when it’s not that time of day for you, hit the snooze button. Do Not Disturb, Snooze, Focus, whatever it’s called for you, and silence your notifications so that the little “dings” don’t interrupt your focus, or pull you away from your much-needed recharge/rest time.

Following these tips can help manage your emails more efficiently and reduce the strain on your resources.

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