We all want to effectively respond to emails. However, emails can be a time-consuming task to manage if you’re not careful. Not only do you have to check for new messages, but you also need to respond to the ones that are important and ignore the ones that aren’t. You find yourself easily distracted when you receive a new email notification. In this article, we will show you a few tips to follow to set better habits to checking your email so that you don’t overwhelmed.
To effectively respond to emails you need to establish routines of checking emails and not allowing yourself to be distracted by emails.
Set Routines
Email checking routines should not vary depending on the time of day, different types of email, nor when the are received. Set a consistent dedicate time each day to check on emails. Many people check their email first thing in the morning, before anything else. Other times people check email during their lunch break, after work, or before bed. It’s important to find a routine that works for you and keeps you from feeling overwhelmed.
Studies show that allowing yourself to be interrupted by notifications such as emails, can reduce your IQ by up to 10 points. This is why it’s best to read your emails in predetermined times throughout the day, rather than immediately checking them as they are received.
Some people like to stick to one time period for checking email, while others find it easier to vary their checking schedule. Experiment a little and see what works best for you. Here are some tips for setting up your email checking routine:
- Start by setting a consistent time for checking email. This will help you get into the habit of checking your mailbox regularly.
- Attempt to check your email at least once every two hours. This will help you avoid getting overwhelmed by your inbox and give you time to take action on the emails that matter most to you.
- If possible, try to minimize the time that you spend browsing through your inbox. Instead, focus on taking quick action on the emails that need your attention.
- If you find yourself spending too much time reading through your email instead of responding to it, try sorting your messages into categories so that you can more easily find what you’re looking for.
- Stay organized by using a good email management systems, Ex: color coded labels for different departments.
Morning:
- Check for urgent emails first
- Check for important emails second
- Check for all other emails third
Afternoon:
- Check for urgent emails first
- Check for important emails second
- Check for all other emails last
Email checking times
if you want to respond effectively to emails, you may be asking yourself “when is the best time to check your emails?”
There is no one answer to this question since everyone has different work and personal schedules. However, some tips to keep in mind when checking emails include:
1. Set a schedule to checking emails and stick to it. This will help prevent distractions and make sure that you are able to focus on your work.
2. Use a desktop email webpage rather than a mobile app. Desktop email clients allow you to manage your messages more effectively, so you can save time by consolidating your messages into one place.
3. Turn off notifications for important emails. Notifications can be distracting, so turning them off can help you focus on your work.
4. This may be extreme, but rather useful for those having a hard time to sticking to the schedule. If you can disconnect from the internet when you are not working. This will help avoid distractions and keep your computer energy efficient.
5. Set healthy boundaries. Here’s an entire article dedicated to just this piece of advice.
Respond effectively to email by altering your notifications
If you want to notify others of your email schedules, create an automatic reply (which can be set for others internally to your company vs external contacts) to lay out your various emailing habits, so that others can prepare themselves as to when they should expect to receive a response. This can help to keep employees on top of their work and reduce the amount of time they need to spend checking email.
There are a few different ways to set up email checking notifications, and each has its own benefits.
One option is to set up a scheduled task in Outlook or another email client. This way, new email will automatically be checked every hour, for example. This will ensure that employees always have access to important information, no matter how busy they are.
Another option is to send an notification message directly to employees’ phones. This way, they won’t have to check their email – it will just pop up on their screens automatically. This is a more personal way of handling notifications, and it can be especially useful for keeping employees updated on important news or changes.
Lastly, you can use softwares such as inbox pause, which will hold all of your incoming emails until you want to view them, which will prevent you from continuously receiving notifications of new emails.
Whichever method works best for your business – make sure you get started with better email responding habits.
