| It seems like practically everyone I have encountered lately has an absurd number of UNREAD emails in their Inboxes! Is this YOU? No judgement here! They ask me what to do and I sincerely want to help! I don’t know about you, but the red number badges attached to the apps on our phones give me anxiety when they show ANY number! I just want them GONE! I’m guessing that if the red bubble on your email app shows a high number, then you are probably living with some form of constant anxiety OR you just don’t see it anymore! Either way, this is a problem! It means you are not dealing with your email, you have unnecessary anxiety, and you’re misusing a very powerful tool for your business and life. It’s time to quickly get this issue squared away, finally! Try THIS! It could be the game changer you’ve been waiting for! You’ve got nothing to lose except no longer subjecting yourself to that red, anxiety ridden, badge on your app! Imagine what life could be like without the taunting all day, every day! Here’s what to do. 1. DRAG ALL EMAILS OUT: On your laptop, drag all but maybe the last 1-2 month’s worth of emails into a NEW folder and out of your INBOX. I would call this new folder “Inception to December 2023”, or “Waste”, or something that makes sense. Due to sheer volume, this might take some time to select in bulk and “Move” everything over, but start with the most recent. This will clear the way so you are NOT constantly tripping over thousands of emails (both Read and Unread) every time you go to your Inbox. BE NOT AFRAID! Just do this! It will all still be there, in one place. You can always access and drag any emails back to the Inbox if needed. DO NOT ATTEMPT to clean this out! It is a WASTE OF TIME! Just put it all in that one place. You know where it is and you know you can get things out if needed. 2. ONLY ACTIONABLE ITEMS: The goal is to have only ACTIONABLE ITEMS in your Inbox. So whatever is left, you will want to “Move” out! Every email that doesn’t require ACTION gets filed, archived or deleted. Important information in emails can be copied, pasted and saved into a “Note”. Important attachments on emails can be saved as digital files in proper folders. Going forward, your Inbox will have ONLY ACTIONABLE ITEMS until they are completed. Keep in mind, your Inbox is not a filing cabinet! Think of it this way, you don’t keep all of your OPENED mail in your mailbox, do you? No, of course not! Let’s start treating your Inbox like your mailbox, not the catch all that it’s become. 3. ARCHIVE vs. DELETE: We make thousands of decisions every day! Going forward, if you can’t decide, archive it. This way, it will be there if you need it. You can always get rid of it later, when you know, for sure, that it’s useless. 4. CREATE FOLDERS: Into created folders “Move” any savable and completed emails. A must have folder is the “fingertips” folder. I call mine “Need Now”. In it are things like upcoming itineraries, flight information, hotel reservations, and anything I need to refer to immediately or frequently. Move these “holding pattern” items OUT of the INBOX and into the designated “fingertips” folder, because only actionable items remain in the Inbox (getting the message here?). My clients LOVE the concept of this particular folder idea, how it has streamlined and simplified their lives, especially when they are away from their office/desk/laptop. All credit goes to my brilliant mentor, Belinda Sandor at The VA Connection. EXTRA TIPS: 1. ADD FILTERS to weed out Promotional/Social Media emails. 2. Unsubscribe a little at a time. It will start to make a difference. It seems like a lot to do and may feel scary! I promise you, it’s NOT! If you allow yourself to just GO FOR IT, you will see a BIG SHIFT in tackling this “problem”. Everything will still be there, just out of your way! Dealing with the emails one by one will take FOREVER and you will likely give up before you finish. Save yourself time, energy and effort. Let me know if you need my help! I’m here! |