PRODUCTIVITY

March 21, 2022

Last week I shared 3 steps for big-time productivity increases: powerblock your morning, timeblock your day and avoid distractions. Each of these helped me to significantly increase my productivity, so I’ve tested these out and shared them to help you too.  Today I thought I’d share 3 quick tips on email productivity: 

1. Avoid email in the first hour of your day and the first hour of your workday: I know this sounds crazy to the email addicts out there. And I had a hard time at this too, but I decided to give it a try and I was impressed with the mental and production results. Email is, ultimately, a list of other people’s priorities. You have to manage your own priorities and timelines and the volume of emails can really mess with your prioritization if you’re not careful. Turn it off when you’re starting your day and your workday and when you’re in a powerblock trying to get something done. This will help you knock out the important stuff first. 

2. Don’t touch emails twice: “Scanning” emails is a bad habit. Yes, it’s sometimes necessary when you’re waiting for something time-sensitive but it’s not a good routine to get into. Make it a practice to look at an email once and decide if it’s something you need to do, delegate or discard. Make a folder for “do” and handle those in your email blocktime. Only look at your emails and delegate or discard them when you have the bandwidth to decide immediately how to handle them. 

3. Avoid inbox zero: Inbox zero is the idea that you should have your inbox emptied at all times. I see many leaders that think this makes them look responsive or helps them seem super organized. Do you know what this really says? I’m prioritizing email over important priorities and projects. No senior leader has an inbox at zero all day. And they don’t expect that of you either. Each organization and its customers has a culture for responsiveness, be sensitive to that culture but not driven by email.