Taming the Email Beast: 9 Tips for Better Management

In the time I have spent writing this 15 minutes, I have gotten 3 emails.

Whether that's a lot or a little to you is sort of irrelevant, we have to start here:

Do you want to get FEWER emails, or do you want to get MORE emails?

For a long time in my business life, I looked forward to emails - it meant offers for my clients, updates on cases, and sometimes a notification that someone paid me (always nice).

So then maybe, it's getting more of the RIGHT emails?

If you're interested in the history of email and the psychological damage it does to us - I recommend Cal Newport's "A World With No Email."

The biggest takeaway for me (for this part of the newsletter) is that do you know why the modern use of work email is the way it is?

You know what I mean - you sort of hive-mind your entire firm together so everyone can ask everyone a question to know everything - why do we email like that?

NO ONE KNOWS!

It just has been that way since email started and we never figured out how to make it better.

For something that takes up SO MUCH TIME...it's crazy to me that we don't have better practices on email.

So, for what it's worth - here are my top 9 tips on email management.

1) The Mindset for Email

One day I had THE revelation. Email is a To Do list you do NOT control.

I repeat - email is a To Do list you do NOT control.

I did not come up with this, but I don't recall who I can credit. But seriously...this is your place to start.

2) Outsourcing your inbox

So full disclosure - I don't do this, but I think you should. Why the hypocrisy?

Because I don't do any fulfillment for any of my companies. So I shouldn't have any client emails or external back-and-forths in my email. If I did ANY of that work, I would absolutely outsource my email (so maybe in theory, I have...just to my employees).

When it comes to outsourcing your email, a lot of the tips below will help.

3) Unsubscribe

Unsubscribe to ALL emails you consistently get that you don't provide value (if that means this email, I TOTALLY get it). But the easiest way to spend less time on email is to have less email (duh...I know).

4) Filters

Most email programs will allow you to filter emails with specific rules. So think about the things that will move the needle the most for you.

Examples: 

move all of the newsletters you do want to read (me! pick me!) into a folder you can peruse when you have time

forward case-related emails to your paralegal as well

forward all of your e-filing emails to a parser which can then zap them into your CMS

5) the Snooze Button

I am a HUGE fan of this - at least in gmail, you can snooze emails until a specific time.

So I will carve out time to do a specific task and then snooze any relevant emails until a minute before that time. It's been a HUGE positive to me for anything that needs me to review some emails (or just knowing I am going to address an email in detail at a later date/time)

6) Schedule Send

The cousin of the snooze button allows you to SEND emails at different times. And let's be honest - people treat us the way we want to be treated, right? (or if you're a negative person - people treat you the way you allow them to treat you).

Schedule send is great for setting boundaries. For example, if you don't want emails from clients on nights and weekends - don't send them emails during that time. And if you cannot help yourself but address your email during that time - use schedule send, so it sends it to them during business hours.

This also helps if you don't want back and forths - you can always hold your response for a while.

7) Templates/Text Expander/Text Replacement

I hate to break it to you - but you send the SAME emails over and over again. We all do, though.

So figure out which ones you send THE MOST, and you can create templates or replacements for them.

I read a thing that said anything you can delegate in 30x or less the time it takes to do it once, you should do it. So for automation, if it's going to happen 30 times, it's worth it.

This can be as simple as sending your assistant a name and then templating, "book me with this person for lunch or a happy hour."  

It can be the questions clients ask the most that you repeat to them.  

It could be links to your youtube channel, infographics, or (ESPECIALLY) your google review link! 

8) Check Your Email Less Often

This is more mental, but the odds of an email coming in that has to be handled RIGHT NOW...is pretty low. But the emotional struggle of constantly checking email is high. So one way to resolve that is to check your email less. Pick 1-2 times a day (or 1-2 times a week if you're a pro), and only check your email then.

The flip side to this is you need to make sure you have the time to properly address the emails. Maybe that's checking email at 11:30 and go to lunch when it's done or start checking at 4 and then leave. But make a system that will work for you.

9) Turn off Alerts/Delete the App

I'm a big fan of turning off alerts for EVERYTHING. But at least do it for email - you REALLY don't need to read that ONE new email. It's just going to steal your time. So shut off email alerts - no buzzes, dings, badges, pop-ups, nothing. Just let it go and jump in when you need to (or it's time to do it).

And there you go - I promise if you implement even half of these ideas, you will save a bunch of time, be more productive and not dread your inbox all day.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend and an excellent Thanksgiving because next week, I am going to talk about you.

Not YOU, the tv show, but you, the person!

See you next Friday

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