๐๐ข๐ช ๐ง๐ข ๐ฅ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ก๐๐ข๐ซ ๐ญ๐๐ฅ๐ข
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- Written by Jane
Is your inbox consistently cluttered with new emails coming in all of the time? You wake up in the morning on a workday, and itโs the same old storyโmore messages than you can manage. The average employee spends 13 hours per week reading and responding to emails. That means roughly 30% of their work time is devoted to managing their inbox. Thatโs entirely too much time to be spending on email!
๐๐ฑ๐ท๐๐๐ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ ๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ๐๐ฒ๐
Achieving inbox zero requires changing how you think about email and your inbox. People use inboxes for things theyโre not meant for, including:
As a to-do list
As a place to save links to articles they want to read later
As a calendar
As a file hosting service
Emails arenโt meant to live in your inbox forever. Instead, your inbox should act as a processing centre: a place where emails wait to be read, before being moved or deleted once youโre done reading them. When you think of your inbox as a processing centre, you understand that you canโt let them pile up. You need to deal with them, otherwise you will never reach inbox zero!
Processing email isnโt the same as checking email. Itโs not the same as responding, either. Processing takes a look at each email and asks, โWhat action do I need to take?โ
๐๐ฎ๐๐ฐ๐ต ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฎ๐ถ๐น๐
The โbatchingโ method means blocking off time in your calendar to power through your inbox. For example, you could batch process your email from 9:00 โ 9:30 AM and 4:00 โ 4:30 PM and then ignore it for the rest of the time.
Studies have shown that โbatchersโ are more productive, less stressed, and maintain a higher state of contentment. This is a pretty compelling argument against reacting and multitasking when it comes to email. After you set aside time slots to go through emails, prioritise the important ones and ignore the rest.
If you plan on receiving time-sensitive emails during the day, you can filter those into a separate folder, so you see those as they come through. The whole idea behind batching is not to let email run your lifeโinstead, you choose the time that works best to deal with it.
๐ฆ๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ฝ ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฎ๐ถ๐น ๐ณ๐ถ๐น๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐
Set up filters to categorise specific types of email. You can use these filters to complete various actionsโapply labels to email, delete it, place it in a particular folder, and more. For non-urgent emails, you can set up filters for them to entirely skip your inbox and go straight into a folder to view later. From there, you can choose when to take action on those emails at a more convenient time.
๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐บ๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐น๐ถ๐ฒ๐
If you look through your inbox, youโll probably notice a trend in emails you reply to. They can usually be classified (scheduling appointments, communicating with suppliers, writing to clients, etc.). Instead of starting each new email from scratch, writing out a few templates youโll use regularly will save you loads of time when youโre responding.
๐ข๐ป๐น๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ฝ๐ผ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐ฝ๐๐ฟ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐ฒ The idea that you need to immediately respond to every notification you receive is dangerously distracting. Even simple answers like โOkโ or โGot it, Iโll get back to you laterโ are sure to break your focus. Sending quick responses that have no real purpose only adds to email overload for all parties involved. Instead of gaining a reputation as someone who replies quickly, focus on the importance of someone who sends thoughtful, value-adding responses that move the conversation forward.
Try to only respond to emails when you have the energy and time to craft a proper answer. In โUnsubscribeโ by Jocelyn Glei, she applies Newtonโs Third Law of Motion to email: โFor every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.โ So to put it plainly, the more email you send, the more you receive. Donโt get caught in an endless email loop; only respond when you have something meaningful to say.
๐๐ผ๐ป'๐ (๐ฎ๐น๐๐ฎ๐๐) ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฎ๐ถ๐น
Before you hit send, review the email and evaluate whether the message will suck you into a long thread. If so, pick up the phone and talk to the person.
๐ญ๐ฌ ๐พ๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฎ๐๐ธ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐๐ฒ๐น๐ณ ๐๐ผ ๐ถ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐บ๐ผ๐๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป
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- Written by Jane
Questions are very powerful in helping to point us towards our purpose, maintaining focus and influencing motivation.
Everyone has some triggers that help them maintain their motivation. As we are all different, the same strategies and tips may not work for everyone. Thatโs why it is so important to ask yourself questions and figure out what works for you.
1. What are my reasons for wanting to achieve my goal?
Taking a step back to think about what makes your goal important to you is a good place to start. It is important to remind yourself what matters to you. Our values are our motivators, so by exploring your values, you will be able to tap into your motivation.
2. What steps do I need to take to move closer to my goal?
Big goals can be overwhelming and decrease your motivation. Breaking your goal into small, manageable steps can help you focus, but also will help you take small actions towards your objectives. Seeing progression and results can also greatly boost your motivation.
3. What would be the consequences of not being motivated to achieve my goal?
Some people are more motivated by the consequences of not achieving something and the negative impact it may have on them, rather than the benefits of achieving it. If you are one of those people, this question may resonate with you very much.
4. What stops or reduces my motivation?
Building awareness about what helps and hinders your motivation is crucial. If you are aware of what it is you need to change, you can take action to make those changes.
5. What obstacles or barriers may I face that will sabotage my motivation?
You know yourself better than anyone else. You know the thoughts you are having, limiting beliefs that may creep up every now and again and sabotage your motivation. Recognise those obstacles and deal with them one by one.
6. How can I overcome those obstacles?
What can you do to overcome the barriers and obstacles standing in the way of your motivation? Being aware of what may stop your motivation will help you determine what you can do to avoid it.
7. What habits can I create to increase my motivation?
It is much harder to break old bad habits and negative patterns of thinking than it is to create new, positive habits.
For example, think of a big tree with strong and deep roots in the ground. That tree has been watered and conditioned for years. It will be impossible to pull the tree out without any additional support, no matter how hard you try. It is much easier though to plant new seeds and give your new tree plenty of water, sunlight and nutrition to ensure it grows healthy and strong. At the same time, if you starve the old tree from sunlight and water, eventually your old tree will become weak and its roots will dry out.
8. What tangible reminders do I need to see to stay motivated?
Having visual prompts, pictures and cues can really help in reminding you what it is that you want or donโt want. For example, sticking a picture on the fridge of yourself when you were heavier may help you stay motivated to keep weight off and continue your healthy eating. When you are most likely to give in to your impulses and cravings, tangible reminders can help to interrupt the impulse and keep you on track.
9. Who can support me?
Having a support network and being accountable to someone can increase your motivation. Being able to share your successes, ideas and concerns and talking things through can help you keep your enthusiasm and motivation up.
10. How will I reward myself?
Knowing that there is a reward or treat for your efforts can help you stay motivated.
Taking a relatively small amount of time to ask yourself and answer these simple questions could help you achieve your goals much more quickly and efficiently. You can head towards your objectives with your eyes open, ready to deal with any barriers that come along the way.
Marie Smith: New trainer
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- Written by Jane
We are delighted to announce that Marie Smith will be joining our training team as from 1st January 2022. She will be offering courses from Newark, Nottinghamshire.
Marie began as a Beauty Therapist by having an interest in the health and well-being sector, studying whilst working full time in a career that bought her no satisfaction.
Excited, knowing the Beauty Industry was her future, to help others to become the best version of themselves made her feel incredible. She couldnโt wait to begin her new career.
She soon realised when working with clients, they left feeling better in themselves after the simplest beauty treatment. This led her curious mind to understand this further by studying holistic therapies, discovering the mind and body connection which enabled her then to treat clients as a whole.
Her business throughout this time has flourished, and she is the proud owner of Alma, established 1996. Since then, to today she absolutely loves her work. She has focused and developed her passion for Skin Health, Body and Mind Well-being, educating and inspiring others. Alma is an amalgamation of the first two letters of both her daughter's names and means soul, kind, nourishing, young, wisdom and learned.
Marie's heart and soul goes into her work, nourishing therapists with the knowledge and the understanding you will require to go confidently on to treating your own clients.
Marie as been a tutor in colleges in addition to running educational workshops alongside being the sole owner of Alma.
Marie says her mission is "To support and better you as you enter into the aesthetics, beauty and holistic sector by providing exceptional quality learning. I will guide, teach and mentor you to excel and become a competent and proficient therapist elevating your success to achieve within the profession"