7 Tips to Increase Your Email Speed

Email has taken over many people’s workday.

However, (as I have said before), unless you are a customer service rep… email is not your job.

You need to get out of your inbox and get your work done!

Faster, Better Email

There are really two ways to spend less time on your email

1. Check it less. (Read this post.)
2. Process it faster.

Today, I want to talk about the second one.

Some people read their email like they would read a good novel. They slowly read through it. They pick at it. They re-read it. They close it to come back to it later.

Email is not a novel. Nor is it worth spending extended time on. You should process your email as quickly and efficiently as you can.

When it comes to your email inbox…

Get in.
Get email processed.
And get out of your inbox!

“To stay out of your inbox, be quick and ruthless with your email.”

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Here are 7 Tips to Increase Your Email Speed:

1. Don’t Leave Email in Your Inbox – One of the most unproductive things you can do with an email is to read it, and then do nothing. Don’t leave “read” emails in your inbox.
2. Act on Email Immediately – When you do choose to spend time on your email, make sure that you are taking action. Respond, file, or delete messages as you read them the first time. If you don’t have time to do that, you probably shouldn’t be in your inbox in the first place.
3. Don’t Follow Loose Ends – Have you ever opened an email, clicked on a web link, and then 45 minutes later realized you are still surfing the Internet? Resist clicking random email links (often solicitations) that can waste tremendous amounts of time. Trust me, you really don’t need to click thru to see the latest sale, product announcement, or fake news item.
4. Don’t Respond to Every Email – Just because someone sent you an email, doesn’t mean that you have to respond to it. In fact, many emails don’t warrant a response. As well, the more emails you send the more you will get back.
5. Be Decisive – Our society has become one that is averse to making decisions. Yet, being productive is all about making choices. Act and be decisive with your email. Make a choice and move forward.
6. Put It On Your List – If an email is not actionable now, but needs to be done, then add the item to your todo list and archive the message. Your inbox should not be your undone tasks, that is what your todo list is for.
7. Avoid the Back-and-Forth – If an email chain goes more than a few messages, stop the email Ping-Pong. Instead, pick up the phone or if possible go see the individual in person.

Deal with Your Email Faster

If you want to spend less time dealing with email, then speed is the key.

Be quick, decisive, and action-oriented when it comes to your inbox. Read, act, respond, archive, or add it to your todo list.

Simply put, the faster you can process your email, the sooner you can get out of your inbox.

Question: What are some of your email speed tips? You can leave a comment by clicking here.