How many times have you opened your inbox in the morning and suddenly realized it is lunchtime, and you are still reviewing and replying to emails? If your inbox feels like it is running your schedule, you are not alone! Individuals everywhere are juggling personal and work emails, group chats, and meeting invites. But it is time to reclaim your day and manage your emails (rather than letting them manage you!).

Here is a secret: the inbox is not your boss. You are in charge, and all it takes is a little intention (and a few clever tricks) to turn chaos into calm. The key to email management? Think frequency . . . time . . . and objectives.


                                                                                                                       

Choose one or two moments outside of work hours for personal email review and set aside just three intentional check-ins for work email review during your business day. Consistency is your superpower. And—this is a game changer—turn off those notifications! No more dings and pop-ups derailing your focus. When you need to send a message while working on a scheduled task, just send the message and go right back to your scheduled task. No sneaky, spontaneous inbox browsing allowed!

                                                                                                                       

Choose to spend no more than an hour a day reviewing emails (yes, you can!).  Give yourself no more than 15 minutes a day for personal email review, and 45 minutes for work email review, broken into those three scheduled check-ins discussed above. To help turn the length of time into a habit, set a 15-minute timer each time you begin to email review for the next 60 days.

Your objective is to review and make decisions on your emails in 15 minutes. Within 15 seconds of opening an email, decide: Delete it, Delegate it, or Do it. “Delete it” is self-explanatory. “Delegate it” is a decision to forward the email with quick instructions to the recipient. For those “Do it” emails, if it takes two minutes or less to reply, handle it right away. If it takes longer than two minutes, schedule it on your calendar—and jot down the details so you do not forget any reply you were starting to contemplate. That is efficiency in action!

Remember, your time is valuable, and you deserve to spend it on what matters most. Take back control, implement these simple email management strategies, and stick with them for 60 days. You will be amazed at the transformation—in your inbox and in your life.

Here’s to less inbox stress and more time for you—because you are worth it!

About the Author

Lucretia Pitts Barrett is an attorney with 25 years of experience in corporate law, insurance defense, legal operations, and artificial intelligence. She has worked as in-house counsel for both government and a major public corporation, argued before the Florida Supreme Court, and litigated multi-million-dollar cases in federal and state courts. Lucretia currently chairs several legal committees in several organizations and founded Charmed Elegance, an etiquette and professional skills consulting company. Originally from Chicago, she now resides in Plantation, Florida with her husband. www.linkedin.com/in/lpittsbarrett