Is your inbox consistently cluttered with new emails coming in all of the time? You wake up in the morning on a workday, and it’s the same old story—more 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. That’s entirely too much time to be spending on email!
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Achieving inbox zero requires changing how you think about email and your inbox. People use inboxes for things they’re 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 aren’t 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 you’re done reading them. When you think of your inbox as a processing centre, you understand that you can’t let them pile up. You need to deal with them, otherwise you will never reach inbox zero!
Processing email isn’t the same as checking email. It’s not the same as responding, either. Processing takes a look at each email and asks, “What action do I need to take?”
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The “batching” method means blocking off time in your calendar to power through your inbox. For example, you could batch process your email from 9:00 – 9:30 AM and 4:00 – 4:30 PM and then ignore it for the rest of the time.
Studies have shown that “batchers” 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 life—instead, you choose the time that works best to deal with it.
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Set up filters to categorise specific types of email. You can use these filters to complete various actions—apply 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.
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If you look through your inbox, you’ll 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 you’ll use regularly will save you loads of time when you’re responding.
???? ??????? ???? ??????? The idea that you need to immediately respond to every notification you receive is dangerously distracting. Even simple answers like “Ok” or “Got it, I’ll get back to you later” 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 “Unsubscribe” by Jocelyn Glei, she applies Newton’s Third Law of Motion to email: “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” So to put it plainly, the more email you send, the more you receive. Don’t get caught in an endless email loop; only respond when you have something meaningful to say.
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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.
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. That’s why it is so important to ask yourself questions and figure out what works for you.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Having visual prompts, pictures and cues can really help in reminding you what it is that you want or don’t 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.
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.
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.
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