Wondering how you can spend less time in your email inbox at work?

Looking for some practical tips to help you manage your time?

You spend countless minutes writing emails each and every week.

The only problem is, you end up spending way too much time in your inbox.

What’s more, you don’t spend enough time taking care of the things you need to take care of.

Can you really break free from the ball and chain of emails? Yes, you can!

In this post, you’ll find seven tips that will help you be more productive when it comes to dealing with your email.

Why not choose two or three of the below tips and try them out this week?

Think before you write.

Take a couple of minutes to plan your messages before typing a single word.

You’ll spend less time overall when it comes to writing and editing your emails.

Ask yourself these basic questions: To whom are you writing? Why are you writing to them?

What information do you want to share with/receive from them? Do you have a deadline? If so, when is it?

You might like to create your own prompts to help you better hone in on why you’re sending an email in the first place.

Make lists or bullets.

Instead of writing long, prose-heavy paragraphs, keep things short by making lists or using bulleted points.

This not only makes it easier for your recipient to read the email, but it helps you to formulate and organize your thoughts.

Aim to keep each list item or bulleted point one to three sentences in length.

Regularly delete messages.

Having fewer emails in your email inbox means less spending less time slogging through everything.

Get in the habit of regularly deleting old, expired, or irrelevant emails. 

You could do this at the end of every week or as you’re processing emails.

At the end of every month, be sure to empty out your email trash or deleted messages bin. 

Use social media to share links and articles.

Found a funny video or interesting article?

Skip the inbox and share the item directly via your favorite social media accounts.

This makes it easier to share the item in question with friends, family, and acquaintances. 

Learn how to touch type.

The “hunt and peck” method of typing is dreadfully slow and unproductive.

When you learn how to touch type, you won’t ever have to look down at the keyboard.

All you have to do is sit down and type.

Why not take a moment right now to do an online search for touch typing websites and courses?

Use email signatures.

Sure, you use email signatures at work. But how about using them for personal emails?

It’s completely up to you to decide how much information you’ll include.

But at the very least, you can shave off a couple of minutes by having a standard email signature with your name.

Simply log off.

Finished using email for the immediate future? Consider completely log out of your account or email client.

If you do this correctly, you won’t be able to see any email windows, messages, or folders.

Another way to limit email use is to disable email alerts on your computer and phone.

You don’t need to know when each and every message arrives in your inbox.

Learn how to manage your time In Your Inbox

Practical time management skills can help you manage your time at work, including the amount of time you spend in your email inbox.

My time management guide can help you learn how to prioritize tasks, manage time in meetings, and arrive on time to appointments.

If you want me to help you manage your time in your business so you get things done, then check out my time management coaching services. Book a strategy session with me today!

How about you? How are you going to spend less time on email in the coming days and weeks? Join the conversation and leave a comment below!