Blog Home

So you've finally awakened to the reality that email plays a much larger role than you'd like in your everyday life. What next? Stop it in its tracks of course.

Here are 3 easy ways you can stop email from taking over your life:

1. Learn to disconnect

Today's technology ensures that we are constantly connected to each other. If someone isn't calling or texting you, they're probably tagging you on Facebook or pinging you on WhatsApp or sending you an email. And while taking a sabbatical from Facebook or texting may not seem such a big deal, the very idea of disconnecting from your email for a while, seems unacceptable. What if you missed an important email from the boss? What if a client needed urgent help? There are endless excuses you can give yourself to stay connected to your email. But remember, you aren't superhuman. You don't have to stay on top of things all the time. Set boundaries for your email and disconnect once in a while. Enjoy a weekend or a vacation without having your email buzz its disapproval every few minutes. Learn to set aside email-free times every day, when you can just leave your device languishing in your pocket with notifications muted, or better still, somewhere out of sight.

2. Try a different way to communicate

Relying on email not only means you are stuck to your desk, but also means ensured traffic to your inbox. The more email you send, the more you will receive! Consider walking over and discussing a response in person or hashing it out on the phone. Use the “Send Email” button responsibly and you will find the rewards are significant and immediate.

3. Figure out how to spend less time with your email

How you use your email depends on your job. Some of us work with our email all day while others, not so much. But whatever your job, you can always do with a little less time spent with email. The first step is to figure out which email tasks suck up most of your time every day. Do you reply to most emails you receive? Or perhaps keep organizing the clutter in your mailbox? Or maybe you even spend time finding messages many times a day? Once you have a handle on what is causing the time suck, the solution isn't far away. For instance, if you feel the need to reply to every email that is addressed to you, simply remember that reply begets response. If your time is occupied organizing messages into folders, or trying to find messages you moved, try using an Add-In or App that can help you organize and find emails easily.