Rarely do I open my e-mail and think, “Alright! This is going to be good!” Rather, new unread messages at the top of my inbox often evoke an audible groan, or at a minimum, sense of burden and stress.
We just get too many e-mails in a day. Requests at work, messages from mom and a constant flow of e-mail newsletters or blog feeds become overwhelming.
So, here is the secret to staying on top of your inbox (and not groaning inwardly or audibly) each time you get a new e-mail:
Delete all unread or unresponded to e-mails after 30 days.
It sounds incredibly cut-throat, but if it was important enough to get to in the last month, you would have. You’re busy, and there are likely a mountain of requests on top of that one, so they need to go.
You will be surprised at the relief you feel when you finally hit delete, I promise!
And, if it truly was vital, there’s a good chance the request will come again.
Feeling guilty? I understand. But you’re busy, you only have 24 hours in the day (technically only 8 should be spent at work) and you simply can’t do it all. Somewhere between 1994 and 2014 it became established that we must respond to every e-mail that comes in, but the fact is that you simply can’t!
So be free! Eliminate the bottom 2/3 of your inbox! And feel a little less stress each time you get that new message notification!
And, ready for a few more tips to keep the remaining messages manageable? Just click here for the Top 4 Tips for a Manageable Email Inbox!
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