Email is productivity kryptonite.
An overflowing inbox can be demoralizing and time-consuming. For better or worse, however, email is still a means by which we can love our neighbor, whether they are family, a coworker, or a stranger.
I don’t have a silver bullet strategy for you (short of nuking your Gmail account), but I did want to share a few simple habits for inbox management that you may find helpful.
1. Only check your email when you can reply.
I used to open my inbox as a way to procrastinate.
I’d be in the middle of a project, searching for a mental break, and instinctively I’d turn to my email for a shot of dopamine. It felt more productive than checking social media, or something, but the truth is, once I saw the new emails, I’d think, “Oh, replying to that is going to take some work.” And I’d get back to what I was supposed to be doing.
The problem with this approach, however, is that every time you check your email and don’t deal with the new messages, it opens up a loop in your mind. Once you become aware that there are new emails in your inbox, part of your brain busies itself with thinking about those messages.
Every unanswered email is an unfinished task, draining your ability to focus.
So, instead, try to only check email when you are in a position to deal with it properly.
2. Time block your email sessions.
If you’ve been through Waypoints to Well Done, you’ll know I believe in dividing your time into four categories:
- Grow Time – Habits
- Goal Time – Long-term goals
- Grit Time – Admin
- Gift Time – Everything else
Email fits into that second category. Grit Time is the urgent stuff that wants to take over your day and crowd out what is truly important. Grit Time, therefore, needs to be contained.
The details might look different in your situation, but I’ve found that marking off two dedicated 30-minute blocks of time each day typically helps me stay on top of things.
Treat it like a game: how many emails can you get through in 30 minutes? Start with the oldest messages, don’t let yourself skip any, and I go until the timer runs out.
3. Practice good email hygiene.
Your inbox is like your toenails; go long enough without trimming, and things can get pretty gruesome.
Best to stay on top of it.
Anytime you get a marketing email or newsletter you’re not interested in, immediately unsubscribe before deleting.
Think of that one extra click as saving you hundreds of future clicks.
4. Show yourself a little grace.
With email, there comes a point at which, no matter how productive you are, or how many filters and auto-responders you set up, you still can’t keep up with it all. That’s not a character flaw; it’s a consequence of your finitude. You aren’t God. You don’t have infinite time or attention to give to any task, least of all email.
But, by God’s grace, we can try to improve, little-by-little, in the stewardship of our inboxes. And by doing so, we are better loving our neighbors and fulfilling our duties with excellence.
Call it emailing as unto the Lord.
