Twenty Thousand Leagues of Email: Part 2
Part 2 of a 2-part article.
Last week, I introduced you to the “modified one-percent rule” of email clean-up. It was a way for you to reduce the number of emails in your inbox and to establish a process to track results through the Email Clean-up Tool.
I also referenced the classic story Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas by Jules Verne. Because I talk to so many people who have thousands of emails sitting idle for years on their computer or smartphone, it felt like people were trapping themselves, flooded and underwater in a sea of unnecessary communication.
So, if you downloaded the Email Clean-up Tool from last week, still deciding on trying it, or this is new – I’ve listed some behaviors to help you continue an incremental mindset to email management.
- Unsubscribe: Identify newsletters or subscriptions you no longer need and unsubscribe from them to reduce incoming emails. 90% of us are subscribed to at least one newsletter. If the email does not bring value – get rid of it (yes, even if it is this one).
- Organize Your Emails: Start by categorizing your emails into folders such as ‘Important,’ ‘To Do,’ ‘Read Later,’ and ‘Archive.’ David Allen in his great book Getting Things Done, talks about making this decision in 30 to 60 seconds.
- Set Email Times: Allocate specific times in your day to check and respond to emails rather than constantly monitoring them. Block off your calendar and block out the emails.
- Use Filters: Set up email filters to automatically sort incoming emails into appropriate folders based on their content or sender. This is a time-saving way to keep you from having to look at every one of them.
- Respond Quickly: If an email requires less than two minutes to respond, do it immediately to prevent backlog. Emails are not fine wine. They do not age well.
- Delete Ruthlessly: Regularly delete emails that have no long-term value or relevance to keep your inbox manageable. Why are you keeping them? Challenge yourself.
- Archive Regularly: Move completed or old conversations to an archive folder to keep your inbox clear. If you feel a need to keep emails, move them over to a safe space that is out of the way of the inbox, but still accessible if needed.
- Set Goals: Aim to reduce your email count by a specific number each week until you reach your target. You have a tool ready to download for free, the Email Clean-up Tool. 😊
- Understand Your Email Platform: Whether it is Google, Outlook, Apple, Yahoo – your exchange server and provided email tool has great functionality to help you be time efficient. Invest the time to get to know the benefits.
- Review and Adjust: Periodically review your email management strategy and adjust as necessary to ensure continued success. My philosophy of time optimization is all about proactively using your time. Check out how to do that by downloading chapter one of my book The Time-Optimized Life for free.
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In Chapter 13 of Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas, Captain Nemo explains to those he has captured aboard the Nautilus, “Accordingly, when I have a mind to visit the ocean depths two or three vertical leagues beneath the surface, I use maneuvers that are more time-consuming but no less infallible.”
Email takes time. Part 1 and now part 2 of “Twenty Thousand Leagues of Email” management are not designed to magically make your emails disappear. To rid yourself of thousands of electronic communications will consume your time. Yet, it will turn into productive time and a habit in life what will free you to pursue other adventures away from an ocean of unwanted and unneeded messages.
David Buck is the author of the book The Time-Optimized Life, owner of Kairos (Time) Management Solutions, LLC. Learn how to apply the concepts of proactively planning and using your time. Take the Time Management Analysis (TMA), the Retirement Time Analysis (RTA), or all the other free resources offered to help bring more quality time into your life.
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In 35+ years of business development, David developed a strong awareness of what it took for people to be productive and efficient, not just busy. He also personally sought to gain a balance of having a successful career along with the ability to pursue a meaningful personal life.
That led David to start Kairos Management Solutions, focusing all his attention to guide business professionals who struggle with a lack of flexibility in their life to gain more quality personal time. David helps others craft a strategy around their current management of time, and then define a lifestyle of intention, ease, and joy.
In 2024, David released two books, the first being The Time Optimized Life. The book reframes the reactive nature of time management and replaces it with a proactive method of time optimization. In addition, he co-authored The Retirement Collective, where he highlights and provides solutions for how to maximize the use of time for people in post-career life.
