Smart Email Management – from Holiday Inbox to Zero Inbox

March 15, 2011 smartsolutions 22 comments

“I have been away on holidays, but my INBOX hasn’t!!”

You have been away from your PC for over a week. Despite an “Out of Office” notification set up, you have 600+ unread emails in your Inbox. After dealing with urgent phone messages, postal and peer demands, you turn your attention to your Inbox, quickly forgetting how relaxed you felt yesterday after your lovely break away from work.
This all too familiar feeling engulfs over 80% of employees (educated guess) and can trigger a route to procrastination that none of us imagined possible. So much so, that after 2 weeks there are still 400+ emails unread, sitting in your Inbox, well and truly out of date.

So how to we tackle the “Holiday Inbox”?

Smartly of course, but with reverse action. Rather than dealing with urgent messages first (and trying to find them) let’s look at this problem from a different angle: let’s get rid of firstly the junk, then the overdue mails, then the important “action required” mails.

Here are your 5 simple steps to an immaculate Inbox in under an hour:

Dedicate 1 whole hour to uninterrupted space away from everyone, including phone, social networking, email and in-person visits.

1 Fire the Spammers (5 minutes)

Turn off your Reading Pane/Preview Pane.
Sort your Inbox by Sender.

Depending on the program you are using, you may or may not see messages grouped in threads. If this is the case, you can bulk delete messages. Let’s assume your messages are not grouped by threads.
But by sorting by sender, they are grouped by sender. You can now simply select ALL the newsletters, social network notifications and spammy mails and press DELETE.

[Selecting multiple emails:
Windows – SHIFT+Click to select a block of emails, CTRL+Click to select individual emails
Mac - SHIFT+Click to select a block of emails, COMMAND+Click to select individual emails]
Statistically this should clean up about 15-20% of unread messages.

2 Cut the Conversation (10 minutes)

Sort emails by Subject.

This allows you to group messages in “threads” if not already available with your email application. A quick scan of the latest reply of each subject will give you an idea of the general gist of the conversation.
Now select them in bulk and press DELETE. Another 30% gone!

3 Out with the OLD (5 minutes)

Sort emails by Date.

Some emails will be redundant discussions that are either not relevant any more, or have been concluded. Decide on a cut-off date – err on the side of caution if you must. Remember, everyone that sent you a mail received a notification that you were out of the office. They will either follow up with another mail, or contact you directly if their request is urgent.

Select all emails older than your cut off date, and either DELETE or ARCHIVE them immediately. Poof! Another 30% gone!

4 Take Control of the Runaways (30 minutes)

Turn on your Reading Pane / Preview Pane
Sort/Arrange emails by Date – oldest first

Use the “Four Ds for Decision-Making” Rule:

Delete it ~ if you can find the info elsewhere, it is not relevant for the next 3 months, it is not important, or you are not required to keep it on record
Do it ~ if it can be done in less than two minutes
Delegate it ~ if you cannot do either of the first 2
Defer it ~ if you cannot do either of the first 3. Ensure you send a quick reply to say you are dealing with the email, and then convert into a task or calendar event with reminder

TIP: If you are a regular Social Networker, go to their platforms and turn off email notifications for status updates, comments, tagging etc. Your SN site will inform you of all new activity when you log in.

You should now be only left with those 10-20 emails we never seem to quite know what to do with. DELETE them!

5 Take a Break (10 minutes)

Go have a coffee, congratulate yourself, and tell everyone you will be busy for the rest of the day because you have 600+ emails to catch up on!

TOP 5 TIPS FOR AN IMMACULATE INBOX:

BE RUTHLESS
UNSUBSCRIBE rather than ignore unwanted newsletters
SET UP RULES FOR SUBSCRIPTIONS AND GROUPS (another blogpost needed here)
REGULAR CLEANUPS
KEEP AN ORGANISED FOLDER SYSTEM

And no, you don’t have to read every email that you receive!!

Management, planning, Time 4 Ds, defer, delegate, delete, do, e-mail, email, inbox, mail for mac, management, microsoft, outlook, smart, solutions, time, work, zero, zero inbox

Comments

Written by Prepare Your Business For Its Holidays | Technology Small Business blog | Bloggertone on May 30, 2011.

[...] cull on your email account before you leave. Your patience will thank you for it. Read a great post here on cutting down your emails in [...]
Written by Luc on March 25, 2011.

I’d add to the useful points made already that it’s fine to take your time and transition back into work at a pace that works for you. There’s little point in taking a break if the days before and after holidays are going to be very stressful. In my experience colleagues are understanding that it takes time to catch up after e.g. a holiday so use this space, rather than putting extra pressure on yourself…
- Written by smartsolutions on March 25, 2011.
  
  Hi Luc,
  Yes, it does help colleagues if some time is put aside to “transition” like you suggest. Very often so much pressure and stress ensues when preparing for holiday and returning from vacation for many. The “before” and “after” should be given as much consideration as the break itself.
  
  Well spotted!
Written by David Quaid on March 24, 2011.

I think its down to personality and what you need it to be. I don’t like unread mails but I don’t mind 3000 e-mails in my inbox.

I automatically delete spam and I keep on top of my e-mail 24/7. I hate idle time, even on holiday. So if I’m waiting, I automatically connect it. I know that irks a lot of people and that many people are singular-in-focus but not me. I need to be connected and trying to convince myself otherwise results in unnecessary stress.

I deal with about 100 mails a day – we have many clients and we’re normally mid-tier, so we work between the client and their hosting company, design agency, IT company, marketing person, PR person etc so we’re involved in very thread.

Its taken me a while to realise that you can be happy being different. My best Y-combination of this is to assume that by not leaving unread e-mails or not actioned mails (where more than reading/replying is required) I’m as good as keeping my inbox clear. The task of putting them into folders for filing is a part of me that doesn’t fit.

As for just deleting e-mails – that doesn’t work for me and I’m not sure about legislation in that area (future/implied/directive)
- Written by smartsolutions on March 25, 2011.
  
  Hi David,
  Great insights, thank you! I just had an email from someone working in Corporate, and deals with over 200 emails a day. He said “Don’t worry about deleting, if it Is important, it will come back” So that may imply your are right – it’s down to personality and what you need it to be.
  
  I am pleased you found your “fit”.
Written by Frank Bradley on March 24, 2011.

Great post Elaine. This was a bridge I crossed about a year ago. I returned from 2 weeks holidays and it took me nearly a week to get through the mess of my inbox.

Steps 1-3 are really useful and great ways to cut out the junk. For me though the key message comes from the last 5 points you make about having an Immaculate Inbox. Especially

UNSUBSCRIBE rather than ignore unwanted newsletters
SET UP RULES FOR SUBSCRIPTIONS AND GROUPS

One of the best things I ever did was to create rules and filters to take certain messages out of my inbox. I now have subfolders that contain messages from certain DLs that I don’t need to check daily, but I might want to do so weekly or monthly. I have separate folders for Blog, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn etc notifications, which again I only check daily or every other day. The result is that when I return from holidays I have a significantly reduced Inbox which is easier to handle.

I also like your suggestions about Take Control of the Runway. It is very similar to the method suggested in the GTD (Getting Things Done) methodology. This is great advice for not only dealing with an overflowing inbox, but managing email daily. I have a “Action” “Someday” and “Waiting For” folder, just under my Inbox, which I drag messages into depending on whether i want to Do it, Delegate it, or Defer it.
- Written by smartsolutions on March 24, 2011.
  
  Frank.
  These are very useful insights, thank you for taking the time to share them with us.
  Ultimately, in order to tidy our Inboxes, we have to “want” to do it. When I used to struggle with influx of emails, and constantly repeating tasks, it felt a bit like I was being sent to “tidy my bedroom” as teenager. I used to dread the task, not knowing quite where to begin. So I began with the easy things first, and worked my way through each task until I could see a floor again.
  
  Thankfully I am now much more organised, and really enjoy learning new ways to speed up and automate tasks. But it is ultimately down to our mindset.
Written by Mairéad Kelly on March 24, 2011.

Great advice Elaine. I have everything that is NOT on my safe list go into my junk mail and that is the one I always sort first, usually by date. It is amazing how easy it is to clear an inbox quickly when that is the goal and you stay focused on that with a time limit on it.

I’ve a running joke with a couple of people I know who have over 2255 messages in nearly all of the various inboxes they have, be they emails, messages on social media sites, etc. They dread opening them when I’m there and can’t understand how I can clear mine so fast.
- Written by smartsolutions on March 24, 2011.
  
  Hi Mairead,
  Thank you for adding value to the conversation. What you are doing is considered brave by some, and mad by others. I sense that certain people are simply not comfortable to allow an application do certain tasks automatically. My view is that once tried a few times with non critical tasks, we increase our confidence in the application, and indeed our knowledge and use of that application.
  
  Yes, I have seen Inboxes that have maxed out months previously, and the users are concerned why they don’t get new emails, even though they were informed that their Inbox is over it’s capacity limit. I believe the newer forms of communication will help alleviate this, but there will always be people who have to read and manage every email and message they receive.
  
  Targeted training is very effective to help business people manage their constant flow of communications, and it’s not just about email anymore, but that’s another blog post!
Written by Greg Fry on March 23, 2011.

Great post. I really think “Single Tasking” is the key. Switch off phones, avoid distractions and get stuck in. Once we get distracted it is difficult to get back to the email clean up.

I will often have an out office office stating I am not back until the next day so I can limit the number of distractions the day I am back.
- Written by smartsolutions on March 23, 2011.
  
  Hi Greg,
  That is a fantastic tip, I know my husband does it all the time with voicemail, OOO notifications, and iChat/skype status. It really does allow for some quality time to catch up, before the madness resumes. Businesses are also discovering that multi-tasking is a bit of a myth, and does promote distraction. Self management, along with good email practices and common sense can go a long way.
  
  Thanks for offering up a great tip!
- Written by Frank Bradley on March 24, 2011.
  
  I agree Greg. In fact yesterday I came across an approach which I hope will help me focus on “Single Tasking”. Have a look at my post about this at http://frankbradley.tumblr.com/post/4046879053/the-pomodoro-techniqure-ive-been-experimenting
  - Written by smartsolutions on March 24, 2011.
    
    I am also trying the Pomodoro technique, and coupled with the concept of “single-tasking” is proving highly effective.
    Frank, thank you for sharing that with us, and I look forward to an update on your progress.
Written by Niall Devitt on March 23, 2011.

Here’s a tip, tell people if they want to communicate with you in real time, use Twitter! It will force them to get to the point, and you’ll be happier to respond when you don’t have to write an essay
- Written by smartsolutions on March 23, 2011.
  
  Hi Niall,
  A great suggestion. I have noticed a huge shift to shared workspaces in organisations, and many are now based on Web 2.0, which will always include a Chat application. Also, some organisations use Skype very effectively, to quickly communicate, send links and files quickly, have phone conversations, and of course video conferences.
  
  It can help to create a conversation, and take it out of the email format that can get very tedious. Twitter is still very public, and frowned on as a medium for colleagues to communicate, but of course everything is changing, including our perception of what is important, sensitive or transparent.
  Thanks for sharing, and highlighting the fact we can shorten messages effectively and still be heard!
Written by Amanda Webb on March 23, 2011.

That’s brilliant Elaine, It’s always one of the tasks I dread when I arrive back from being away. I’ll put this into practice next week
- Written by smartsolutions on March 23, 2011.
  
  Thanks for stopping by Amanda.
  Of course with Smart Phones, we have access to email, even on holidays at times. This can be a help, and can be a hindrance. Management is key here.
  
  Best of luck with it Amanda, and have a great break!!
Written by Sean O’Sullivan on March 23, 2011.

Actually, I must say thats a very well structured way to get through an email backlog.. and not necessarily only one that emerges from Holidays.

I use Outlook for emails, and I find a well structured set of rules for filing emails strips down the gotta-be-responded-to emails, quite a lot. A more disciplined unsubscribe-from-mailing-lists would probably do the trick also.

I wonder – can we ever get to the stage of being able to truly switch off for smoe time.. how about having your out-of-office message say that emails will not be dealt with, and either a) please re-send after (end_of_holiday date) or b) send to (other_person).

One of the problems with how people use Email .. and made much worse via Social Media… is that small businesses end up caught in very ineffective communications cycles driven by personalities and relationships more than by process. A balance is needed – but that balance is very often hard to

I dont have solutions to all this, but I sure know about the problem

Sean
- Written by smartsolutions on March 23, 2011.
  
  Hi Sean,
  Thank you for your wonderful insights. Email management is definitely not just for periods of absence. It’s like any management process, if we can incorporate it into our day, then it makes life easier.
  Business owners can get bogged down with communication, and could learn a thing or two from someone in corporate dealing with 300+ emails a day.
  
  We are firm believers in RULES at Smart Solutions. Our experience is that most people are afraid of rules, least they might delete important emails or send all emails into oblivion. There is a huge mindset issue around how we perceive emails and the programs that manage them. It’s a known myth that we utilise generally 20% of any end-user application, and there is so much more that can be done to manage our systems better. Again it’s back to mindset (and control).
  
  Once people learn how to apply some very basic rules, there is no stopping them. I have seen emails coming in and hopping off the screen into folders. Now, if we could only set up rules to deal with the “must respond to” mails, we could concentrate on getting some work done
Written by Dr Monica Seeley on March 22, 2011.

From where did the 4Ds principle come? They are exactly the same as those in ‘Brilliant Email’ and indeed our workshops which we have been running for over ten years.

Great minds think alike and fools never differ!
- Written by smartsolutions on March 23, 2011.
  
  Hi Monica,
  Thank you for stopping by to read and comment. I have been using the 4 D’s for years also, and cannot remember exactly where I learned about them, perhaps in another lifetime!
  
  If used ruthlessly, they can fundamentally change the way we think about emails, and how important they really are.
  Our mindset is the key to a tidy and well managed Inbox. Very often the state of an Inbox says a lot about the person. The same can be said about their filing system. It gives great insight into how that person processes thoughts, and manages their life in other areas, including home life!
Written by Pro Blogger News on March 15, 2011.

Smart Email Management From Holiday Inbox To Zero Inbox…

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