In our last blog post, we gave you tips for clearing out the clutter in your inbox. In this post, you’ll find ideas for how to set yourself up for success for long-term inbox maintenance. Which ones will you implement this week?
OHIO
No, not the state! OHIO in inbox maintenance means Only Handle It Once. When you adopt this maintenance strategy, you’ll cut way down on the number of read emails sitting in your inbox. When an email comes in and you open to read it, take action on the email immediately. Reply to the sender, forward the email, complete the requested action, then file, delete, or archive the email as appropriate. Done.
Automate Filing Low-Priority Emails
We all get low-priority emails we can’t delete. In these cases, create a rule to automatically file these emails so you can read them later. That way, they’re out of your inbox, easy to find, and also easy to delete or archive once you’ve read them.
Color Code and Categorize
If you can’t delete an email, you’ll need a system to get the email out of your inbox and into storage where you can easily find them. Many people use folders to sort emails they need to keep short-term or long-term. Color coding and categorizing these emails can make finding them in these folders much easier. Create your color coding and categorization system based on your personal needs. For some people, it makes sense to categorize by sender (think boss, team members, or customers) or by task (meeting, paperwork, or accounting, for example).
Adopt a Project Management and File Storage Tool
One major barrier to inbox maintenance success is the lack of other business tools. Email is a communications product. It’s not a file storage app or a project management tool. If your email is cluttered with emails with attachments or tasks that you refer back to, it’s time to upgrade to a better system. Jurrens can help you find project management and file storage tools that can help you maintain a clean inbox and improve your general business operations. If you’d like help getting your inbox under control, reach out to the Jurrens team. We can help design a system for you that keeps you on top of your inbox. Get in touch!