Are you overwhelmed by an overflowing inbox? It’s time to reclaim your time and productivity. Here’s how to manage your emails effectively:
1. Set a Schedule: Dedicate specific times each day to check and respond to emails. Avoid the temptation to constantly monitor your inbox.
2. Prioritize: Use folders, labels, or flags to prioritize emails that require immediate attention. Focus on the most important messages first.
3. Unsubscribe: Clean up your inbox by unsubscribing from newsletters and promotions you no longer read. Keep only the content that adds value.
4. Use Filters: Automate your inbox by setting up filters to sort and categorize emails as they arrive. This helps keep your inbox organized and clutter-free.
5. Archive and Delete: Don’t let old emails pile up. Archive or delete messages that you’ve already addressed or no longer need. The only emails visible in your Inbox should be emails that are new and need to be actioned, or ones that you are currently working on. Above all – don’t use your “Deleted Items” or “Bin” as a filing system! And remember – if you have a number of emails about the same topic, but each email has the trail showing all emails, get rid of the older ones – leave only the latest that has all the information.
6. Respond Quickly: If an email requires only a quick response, reply immediately. Don’t let short tasks linger in your inbox.
7. Delegate: Forward emails to the appropriate person when the task isn’t yours. Don’t let irrelevant emails consume your time. Better still – your Virtual Assistant can do this for you!
8. Create Templates: Save time on repetitive emails by creating templates for common responses. This ensures you communicate efficiently. Outlook can have a number of different “signatures” and these are fantastic to use as templates. Gmail has recently introduced templates that you can create for emails as well.
Of course, the hardest thing to do is to get a start, and a Virtual Assistant can help you with this.
One of my specialties is taking an out of control email account and organising it – turning it into a well-behaved adjunct to help you in your business.
I do this by consulting with you as to how you want to deal with your emails under an ideal condition. When you are looking for something, how do you go about it? What words do you think of for your common email subjects? What is your level of understanding on how your email client works?
I use this to setup your Email files, tags, folders and filters. I use how YOU think and how YOU work, because you are the one that will be using this system ultimately. I try to keep things simple, and above all, to make sure that you can see what is important for your action at a glance.
On an ongoing basis, I can manage your emails – from your own inbox, to a “catch all” enquiry box, to an inbox that is used by a group of people. I can deal with general enquiries, delegating those that need more specialist attention to those who are best suited to answering them. I can take emails with data and other information and create reports from them.
I can free you and your team up to concentrate on the business of your business, rather than on monitoring emails.
With my help, you and your team can start managing your emails like a pro! Why not book a call with me to find out how I can help you to implement these strategies today and transform your inbox into a productivity tool, not a time drain. Your time is valuable—make the most of it.
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