Email management, tips and tricks

Q: I am bad at sending answers to many emails during my workday. I receive hundreds.  Some are junk, but I cannot reply to them all. I get over 100 per work shift and I try to keep up, but it seems like I cannot ever get to them all. This sometimes means that I miss job hunting emails. How do you do it?

A: Great question. If I were to be honest, I struggle managing emails as well.  I have learned some tips and tricks, but I sometimes need to follow my own advice more frequently.

Here is what I do. Remember I share your challenge!

1. The quick deletes. Sometimes I receive emails from retailers or others which I can delete after a quick review.
2. Unsubscribe! I am doing this more often. I cannot read all of the newsletters, the updates and even some of the “sellers” of products and services.
3. Do not reply. I am improving in this area. When a colleague handles a task, or helps me in some way, I try not to reply.  Sometimes those quick replies turn into what sometimes seems like a game of ping pong (a back and forth of unnecessary emails.)  I reply to thank the person. Then they replied that I am welcome. The downside is that I sometimes feel unresponsive or that I am not appreciative. I am almost always appreciative, but I am trying not to clog their inbox either.
4. If you are cc’d on an email, ask if it truly requires a response. Sometimes you may not have to respond. Again, this could turn into a game of ping pong.
5. Flag emails which require a response. This tactic helps you return to emails which are important. For me, it is often a client email.
6. Blocking can be helpful. Earlier this year we implemented a blocking tool. Then, many emails are routed to our junk/spam folder. This type of tool requires care because sometimes important emails land outside of your inbox. You can approve certain domains, but this take a bit of time, especially initially.  You can add certain email addresses, or certain domains to your “safe” email addresses. This is important as a job hunter. If there are employers or placement firms that require a response, add them as a “safe” email address or domain.
7. Consider using an “out of office” reply on dates and times which you know take more time to respond. It sets the expectation that replies may be delayed. When I use this option, I try to communicate at a specific time and/or date when I will be reviewing emails. For example, “I am unable to reply to your email until 3pm today. Thanks for your patience.” 
8. Move your email into a folder. I know others are better at this step than I am.  There are some software tools which help you pre-sort emails, organize and prioritize using an AI assistant.
9. Schedule time during the day to check emails. I would give myself a failing grade on this recommendation. This may be a New Year’s resolution for me in 2025. Then, people move to texting. However, I have a more difficult time with tracking texts when these are business related.  I tend to text on business matters only when it is critical or time sensitive.
10. Carve out some time to review emails and purge some. I know I have emails in my inbox that are no longer important. I am trying to take 20 to 30 minutes every week to delete unnecessary emails. It’s easier said than done.

Thanks for the reminder on pushing me to better manage my email system. I need to focus on this to improve my productivity as well!

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