{"id":528,"date":"2007-11-28T16:46:45","date_gmt":"2007-11-28T23:46:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.scotthyoung.com\/blog\/2007\/11\/28\/how-to-keep-e-mail-from-wasting-your-time\/"},"modified":"2018-04-04T03:15:52","modified_gmt":"2018-04-04T10:15:52","slug":"how-to-keep-e-mail-from-wasting-your-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.scotthyoung.com\/blog\/2007\/11\/28\/how-to-keep-e-mail-from-wasting-your-time\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Keep E-Mail From Wasting Your Time"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Mail\"<\/p>\n

I usually get a few dozen e-mail each day. On some days this can be over a hundred. But keeping my inbox empty is relatively simple compared to many people I know. Hundreds of messages a day are quickly becoming the norm.<\/p>\n

How do you keep connected without having e-mail waste all your time?<\/p>\n

Developing a system to efficiently handle your e-mail is a must, even if your current inbox doesn\u2019t demand it. You\u2019re forced to be efficient when facing a hundred e-mails a day. When your e-mail needs are moderate, it is easy to kill hours a day without even realizing it.<\/p>\n

Have you done a timelog<\/a> to see where your time is going? Unless you use some of the methods I\u2019ll describe, you\u2019re probably wasting a lot more time inside your inbox than you think.<\/p>\n

Step One: Batch Your E-Mail<\/h2>\n

Batching means picking a specific time each day when you handle all of your e-mail. Turn off the alerts that tell you when new messages have arrived, and commit to only manage e-mail at that time. If your job requires constant communication, you may want to commit to 2-3 e-mail periods each day.<\/p>\n

Why Batch?<\/em><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. It saves time. <\/strong> By plowing through your inbox in one go, you reduce the time lost switching from different thinking modes.<\/li>\n
  2. It blows away procrastination.<\/strong> E-mail is the procrastinators crutch. It makes you feel busy so you won\u2019t do the more important work waiting for you.<\/li>\n
  3. It keeps you focused. <\/strong>E-mail can not only be a huge time waster, it can be a huge attention waster. Going back and forth between e-mail and work will destroy any working concentration you might have had.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Obstacles to Batching<\/h2>\n

    If batching makes so much sense, why don\u2019t people do it automatically? Here are some of the complaints I\u2019ve heard and my suggestions for how to overcome them:<\/p>\n