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6 Key Habits to Supercharge Your E-mail Productivity

Posted by Andrew Rondeau • 29 Awesome Comments - Add Yours?

This is a guest post by Timo Kiander. If you want to guest post on this blog, check out the guest post guidelines here.

6 Key Habits to Supercharge Your E mail Productivity

photo credit: misterbisson

There I was … staring at the screen with amazement!

I started to suspect that there was something was wrong with my e-mail software. However, after I making some additional checks, everything seemed to be OK.

You see I hadn’t received any e-mail after my last check (the night before going to bed). In normal circumstances my inbox was flooded with messages and it had taken me sometime to go through them.

When I started to analyze the situation, I realized that there were certain e-mail habits that were responsible for my amazement.

I bet you are ready to find out what those habits are, right?

Well, let’s get start then!

E-mail Productivity Number 1. Set the times right

First and foremost, I use time blocks to tackle my e-mail. I’m checking my e-mail in the morning (after doing some work first), in the afternoon and in the evening.

Having these scheduled times help me to focus on the messages with more organized manner and I can batch-process them easier.

E-mail Productivity Number 2. Don’t forget the time pockets

I have found the small time pockets to be very valuable when dealing with e-mail. And even if this strategy is somewhat conflicting with the tip #1, just listen what I have to say.

You see, I’m carrying my mobile phone with me almost everywhere I go and it’s very easy to check my inbox using my phone.

So when do I check my mail using mobile phone? Well, in those small, tiny time pockets that exists in our everyday lives. For instance, when waiting for a friend to show up to a meeting, waiting at a bank, or in the queue at the grocery store.

These time pockets are everywhere. During them I’m able to process my mail, so that when I eventually have my next time block for checking the e-mail via laptop (morning, afternoon or evening), there is actually fewer mails to process.

E-mail Productivity Number 3. Ask a question

I learned a great tip by watching an interview of Joshua Fields Millburn of the Minimalists some time ago. He talked about minimalism and said that we should ask ourselves the question “Will it add value to our life?”

When you apply this tip to e-mail, ask yourself this question every time you open a new message. If the answer is “no”, then it’s time to hit unsubscribe from that mailing list or create a filter in your e-mail application so that this kind of mail never makes to your inbox.

In fact, unsubscribe (or create a filter) as soon as possible if you realize that message is not bringing you any value. This way the number of e-mails starts to decrease – bit by bit.

E-mail Productivity Number 4. Create a canned message

If you are using Gmail as your e-mail client, this tip is for you. Canned message functionality is part of the Gmail Labs, a place where Google experiments with new Gmail features.

Canned message is nothing more than a pre-made e-mail template that you can use in your messaging. In fact, as soon as you realize writing the same type of e-mail for the second time, it’s time to turn the canned message feature on and create a template for your message.

E-mail Productivity Number 5. Create a filter

Yet another tip for Gmail users, although this same functionality exists in other e-mail clients as well (for instance in Microsoft Outlooks it’s called rules).

Filter is nothing more than a simple way of processing e-mail automatically. The filter could define that certain e-mail is deleted as soon as it arrives to your inbox.

Since I use like to keep my inbox organized, I apply the automatic labeling feature for most of my messages. I have created a filter that tags the messages with an appropriate label as soon as a message enters my inbox.

Get started with e-mail filtering today and soon you’ll have an inbox that’s easier to manage.

E-mail Productivity Number 6. Extract immediately

Many times my e-mail messages contain actions that I should take care of. To make sure I don’t forget those actions, I do the following:

If the information is an appointment, I make an calendar reservation to my mobile phone or Google Calendar immediately after reading the message. On the other hand, if the assignment is a task I have to take care of, I update that task right away to my task management software.

Whatever the case is, taking action instantly prevents forgetting important information inside your inbox. When you see the task again on your task list or get notified about the appointment by your mobile phone, this ensures that you take action on those items.

Conclusion

I have been able to organize my inbox with these E-mail Productivity tips and the number of messages has dropped dramatically.

The trick is to implement these habits in small steps. This way you are not trying to do too much at once.

Eventually you’ll realize that the number of e-mails starts to drop and you are not spending that much time in your inbox than before.

Bio Box:

Timo Kiander, a.k.a. Productive Superdad, teaches WAHD superdad productivity for work at home dads. If you want to get more productive in your own life, grab 222 of his best Tips for Becoming a Productivity Superstar.

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29 Responses to 6 Key Habits to Supercharge Your E-mail Productivity

  1. Soren Sjogren says:
    January 21, 2013 at 12:38 pm

    Great article with some very useful tips. I use most of them already. The transition from constantly checking and responding to emails helped me free a lot of time, thus increasing productivity.
    Soren Sjogren recently posted..Is a Danish court able to grasp actions taken on the front?My Profile

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  2. Eric says:
    January 22, 2013 at 11:09 am

    I would fully agree that you have to have scheduled times for email. I have found out the hard way if I don’t schedule my email times, and even now chat times than the next thing you know my morning or afternoon seems shot.

    This tips are great information, and thanks for sharing,

    Eric
    Eric recently posted..How to Build More Traffic in less than 30 daysMy Profile

    Reply
  3. Thejas Kamath says:
    January 23, 2013 at 8:23 am

    I totally agree with you. Timing makes all the difference. Better to add people from different countries to different lists.
    Thejas Kamath recently posted..WordPress Or Blogger For Newbies? Which Is Better?My Profile

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  4. Ashleen Moreen says:
    January 23, 2013 at 8:33 pm

    Hmm. I am a bit interested in that time pockets! Good to hear about it today.
    Anyway, nice video about “BlockYourTime” from time pockets linky.
    Ashleen Moreen recently posted..Timber Sliding Doors To Make Best Use Of The Space In Your HomeMy Profile

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  5. Ranjan says:
    January 25, 2013 at 12:13 am

    Great one…Timo,
    If I said truly, I just forget to responding on E-mail which are scheduled for some kind of job. Last time i just missed a webinar and that was really nightmare for me. Hope I would get some lesson form your post and tried to manage my productivity.
    Thanks for sharing.
    Ranjan recently posted..Creating A Business Promo Video For Less Than ÂŁ20My Profile

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  6. Sai Krishna says:
    January 31, 2013 at 9:46 am

    I think filters always works good to filter the spam mails, yeah you are right rest of all other tips also works well to supercharge emails.
    Sai Krishna recently posted..How to Find Real Advertisers For Your Blog – 6 Tips for youMy Profile

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  7. Tanik says:
    February 1, 2013 at 3:36 am

    This is a really great article. I always check all the emails in the fixed time schedule. I never have problem in that. Great post again! Thank u
    Tanik recently posted..The old aged cars the big boyS!!My Profile

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  8. Patrik says:
    February 1, 2013 at 9:13 am

    The article is pretty useful as it advices the user to make the checking and responding of his mail as a part of a timetable rather than checking it continuously all day long thus saving his time during which the user can perform other activities.

    Reply
  9. prabhat says:
    February 3, 2013 at 9:27 am

    great tips timo,
    time management is one of the most important tasks when it comes to blogging. because we can not retrieve it back once it has passed. making use of filters does so much for us and yes it can increase the productivity. i do the same and i apply labels on mails which lands in my inbox
    prabhat recently posted..List Of Best Mobile Phones Under 10000 Rs in IndiaMy Profile

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  10. John Mak says:
    February 4, 2013 at 1:55 am

    E-mail filtering is a huge thing.. I can see how much better my emails are organized and I know in seconds which are the most important to answer. Thanks Timo!

    John Mak
    John Mak recently posted..GoPro Hero 3 HD Video Camera Review: Share your Downhill Bike Ride in the Pro WorldMy Profile

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  11. Ben Lloyd says:
    February 6, 2013 at 3:08 am

    I already check my email regularly on my iPhone. I don’t bother with mail filters or unsubscription much – I rely on previous experience to tell me whether an email is worth opening or not. If not, I just do a mass select and delete on irrelevant messages in my mailbox every few hours.
    Ben Lloyd recently posted..Every text is an example of copywriting and a chance to sellMy Profile

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  12. Ajay says:
    February 15, 2013 at 12:11 am

    Great Tips!
    Scheduling the mails is too important to maintain punctuality of the updates. It facilitates the subscribers to check the mail at a particular time.
    Ajay recently posted..Cool Facebook Timeline Covers To Glamorize Your WallMy Profile

    Reply
  13. Keane Kwa says:
    February 16, 2013 at 11:18 pm

    Thanks for the tips. One of the things that I do to make sure my inbox isn’t cluttered is to always either delete read emails or organise them into folders. I really can’t stand it when I see others with inboxes crammed with a few thousand read emails, and they always complain of having to clear them up.
    Keane Kwa recently posted..What to Blog About? How to Never Run Out Of IdeasMy Profile

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  14. Neha says:
    February 23, 2013 at 11:13 pm

    hi timo, time for sending mail is very important for niche topics and really like your other tips for email productivity.
    Neha recently posted..Latest healthy Diabetes diet chartMy Profile

    Reply
  15. Krishna Parmar says:
    March 5, 2013 at 6:53 am

    Hello Timo, yes timing is also one of the most important factor while considering the email productivity. one can even use the email scheduler to do so!

    Reply

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