How To Manage Email Overload

A study showed office workers receive up to 126 emails a day, and that will rise. So, how to manage email overload?

This growing number of emails can cause anxiety for many. Do you ever feel guilty when you think about emails you haven’t had a chance to answer yet? Do you get stressed seeing over 20 unread emails? Do you check your emails before you go to bed and as soon as you wake up? If you have, keep on reading…

"Of course, email has huge benefits!"

It gives us the ability to communicate from wherever we are, record important communications with clients. However, sometimes it can cause unrealistic expectations (often put upon ourselves), and your work-life follows you, even on holiday.

So, the question is, how can we manage this while not letting it affect our productivity?

- Don’t check your emails every minute of the day - too often, we find ourselves checking emails mid-way through a project, or while sitting on the sofa at home in the evenings. Make time for your personal life
- Manage expectations – let clients know your response time is within 24 hours for example, in case they expect 2 hours. It will only lead to frustration for both parties
- Utilise out-of-office messages - not just when you’re on holiday, but also if you are in meetings all day to communicate when you will be able to respond or contact details of a colleague who can help
- Filter out emails - you know, the ones that aren’t a priority? Send them into a separate folder to decrease interruptions

It’s safe to say that email is a big part of all of our lives and it is certainly here to stay, but by taking on board some of these tips, we can manage our email overload, get control back over our inboxes and spend time on what matters most.

If you feel inspired to find out more about anything I've said here, do call me on 01908 774320 or leave a comment below and I'll be in touch as soon as I can.