How to Effectively Handle Email

written by Tanvir Rahman

Email has become a primary source of communication for most people these days and it can be easy to become overwhelmed by the number of emails in your inbox. In your career you’re going to be dealing with many clients and communication through email so it’s important to be able to handle your inbox effectively.

Value

If your inbox has a high amount of mail, then it would be a good idea to prioritize the important emails from unimportant ones. If you can be doing something of value do not waste time with the emails that you are simply sending a reply to. You will just create more mail for yourself and not get much work done. Miscellaneous emails can get in your way as well. Delete messages that don’t require a response and/or from strangers. The key here is to make sure your essential job functions are being completed.

Limits

People can quickly get caught up in their inbox and a quick run through can turn into hours of lost time. Give yourself a limit on how long you will be looking at emails. Watching videos, reading articles, or any other learning should be set aside for later. Keep a folder of a to watch/to read list that you can go back to later.

Tough Emails

There are also the occasional tough emails, the ones that will demand a reply but also require some time for some thoughtful reply. Try saving those for later in the day so that you can quickly clear out your inbox and lighten your load. Another option is to skip email all together. You could also simply call or stop by in person to get immediate answers and not have to write that extensive email, saving yourself a conversation that could last the entire day or week.

Organization

Emails are also very easy to get cluttered and lost. If you have emails you need to save for later or have emails coming in everyday, it can be easy to become lost in your mail. There are many email clients out there so it is important to find the best one that works for you. Personally, I use Gmail because I find it the easiest way to stay organized. In Gmail you can set up different layouts of how you want your email prioritized. I have mine setup so that the ones labeled most important show up first. Gmail also allows you use labels and folders. Color coded labels help me stay organized visually and helps me access emails quickly. My Gmail is set up so that I have a group for important emails, and groups for my different organizations I am involved with. The rest of my emails follow. This can all be setup in the settings of your Gmail.

Start exploring to find what works best for you so that you can effectively handle emails!

refernce: http://99u.com/articles/19231/how-effective-people-handle-email