I recently noticed that whenever I look at my email, the sheer volume of it is making me nauseated — I dread reading it and having to respond. It feels like a never-ending cascade of words, entreaties to buy some service or product, or things I previously subscribed to which no longer seem relevant. Yet, open it I must for who knows what gems it may contain. Perhaps an old friend might actually write to me, and I don’t want to miss that. That’s if I can actually find it amidst the deluge. And somehow I seem addicted to checking all three (yes — three!) of my email addresses several times a day. And the work that would propel me in the direction I want to go, just doesn’t get done.
I need a new strategy for email! Anyone out there have some suggestions?
© 2010, Taru Fisher. All rights reserved.
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Hi, found you through Elderwomanspace. Coincidentally I wrote about this recently, here: http://www.anchormast.com/2010/04/29/focus-focus-focus/. Hope it’s useful.
Hi Tess, I followed your link and found your article. Your suggestions are very helpful. Thanks for the excellent information!
Hi Taru,
First, get off all marketing lists if they are no longer relevant. Second, set a time of day to go through it. That sounds simple, but it’s not easy. Third, set a timer for a short amount of time, say 10 minutes. Put the messages that need responses in a separate folder and respond to them all at once. Stop notifications from LinkedIn and Facebook if you’re getting too many. Try that for a week and see if it helps with the nausea.
Carol
Hi Carol,
Thanks for the great suggestions. Some of them I’ve done, like un-subscribe from stuff I no longer find useful. I’ve tried email checking only at certain times of the day, but haven’t been consistent with it. I’ll put that back in place. The timer idea is brilliant! I also really like the reply folder idea. Right now, they are just labeled “Action”, and they multiply like dust bunnies under the fridge ;-D! On to the notifications; yes, I can do without the ones from LinkedIn. You are truly a great professional organizer. And, I love your videos.