Email mastery

I have confession I am not just writing this emails for your information it was prompted by the decision to switch of our emails scanners for our ECO app users. 

The Email client inbox, if your like me, sometimes it feels like the local Job centre gets less traffic than my inbox. I will take a moment to say I have seen the queue outside when passing and there are definitely more people waiting for a response in my inbox. Some of which are important, some urgent at least to the person sending the email and mostly rubbish or people copying me for no reason.

If you are using your inbox as a to do list and a place to store your emails it is no doubt a scary list of people you think you need to communicate with. I mean if you have never archived an email I'm sure there are hundreds of unread emails. 

If you're reading this and you know what the term inbox zero congratulations you might not need to read on, but before you leave, How do you get to inbox zero?

Do you painstakingly start at the top and work your way down or bottom and work your way up, writing response to every email? If this is the case you might want to read on, In this post I am going to share two ways to reach inbox zero one is free and the other is paid my current way **please not this way does include an affiliate link and I am rewarded if you decide to sign up this is at no additional cost to you**

If you don’t have time to read on here are three tips 

1. STOP USING YOUR INBOX TO STORE EMAIL, this what an archive is for.
2. Don't stop what you are doing to respond to an email set time in the day for reading emails, the exception to this is if you are in customer service you are probably getting paid to respond to emails. 
3. Try superhuman https://superhuman.com/refer/riuxmrk0

Email mastery version one. 

How to Achieve Inbox Zero

Inbox zero is a state where your email inbox is completely empty or contains only emails you need to take action on. Here's a step-by-step guide to help you reach this goal:

1. Declutter Your Inbox:

• Unsubscribe: Remove yourself from unwanted mailing lists. This can be achieved by clicking unsubscribe at the bottom of the email. 
• Delete: Get rid of emails you don't need. This might include promotional emails, old newsletters, or irrelevant conversations. 
• Archive: Move emails you want to keep but don't need to access immediately to an archive folder. Do this for emails you are waiting for a response on, when the recipient replies the emails will move back to your inbox. Do this for emails over 3 weeks old if it was that important they would have sent it again. 

2. Establish a Workflow:

• Folders: firstly create a to-do folder, when scanning your inbox archive, delete as necessary and anything you need to action goes in to-do, when you reach inbox zero move on to your to-do folder. You could expand on this further and create specific folders to organize your emails after they are finished in the to-do folder  Examples include Work,Personal and Projects.
• Labels: Use labels to categorize emails within folders. For instance, label emails related to a specific project or client. I personally don’t do this. I find the search bar recalls email perfectly well, if you use Outlook you may disagree. 

3. Set Aside Time:

• Daily Check-ins: Dedicate a specific time each day to review and manage your inbox.
• Batch Processing: Tackle similar tasks together, such as replying to emails or scheduling meetings.

4. Effective Email Management:

• Keep it Short: Write concise and to-the-point emails.
• Use Subject Lines: Clearly indicate the purpose of your email in the subject line.
• Avoid Forwarding: If necessary, forward emails only to relevant recipients.

5. Be Mindful of Habits:

• Limit Checks: Avoid checking your email constantly throughout the day. Set specific times for email checks.
• Unsubscribe Regularly: Keep your inbox clean by unsubscribing from unwanted lists regularly.
• Create Templates: For frequently used email responses, create templates to save time and ensure consistency.

By following these steps and developing a consistent email management routine, you can achieve inbox zero and reduce email stress. 

Remember the inbox is just that a inbox, not a store of information or a to-do list emails should be move out at each check in, if it will take you 2 minutes to respond to it then reply, if the answer is more complex move it to the to-do folder and schedule some time to deal with it, the rest should be archived or deleted. Biggest tip of them all don't use the email client to store attachments download them and put them in client or project folder 

The second way and the geek in me has to say adds some fun to emails honestly just try it especially if you value your time, since finding superhuman my email productivity has gone through the roof allowing me to scan through my emails in minutes and schedule time more complex email replies, besides the key board short cuts on o the most useful tools is when ever you write a time or date in a email the calendar pops out from the right, with that date and time. No more double booking. 

Here's a breakdown of key features and tips to help you manage your emails without ever touching your mouse using Superhuman

Core Features

• Split Inbox: Categorise emails into focused streams based on sender, subject, or keywords.
• Hotkeys: Perform actions quickly using keyboard shortcuts.
• Search: Find specific emails instantly with advanced search capabilities.
• Snoozing: Temporarily hide emails and set reminders for later follow-up.
• Send Later: Schedule emails to be sent at a specific time.
• Templates: Create pre-written email templates for common responses.
• AI Brief: Get a concise summary of the emails

Tips for Effective Email Management in superhuman 

1. Set Up Split Inbox: Organize your inbox into focused streams based on your workflow. For example, create splits for work, personal, and clients
2. Learn Hotkeys: Superhuman's hotkeys allow you to perform actions quickly without using the mouse. This can significantly speed up your email management.
3. Use Advanced Search: Take advantage of Superhumans powerful search features to find specific emails based on sender, recipient, subject, keywords, or attachments

Want to give it a try https://superhuman.com/refer/riuxmrk0