041: It's A Trap
For those who are regular readers of The Ascender you'll know I usually discuss things in an abstract, metaphorical or 'big-picture' way. I believe there is huge value in this as all too often we get caught up in the day to day and lose sight of what we are truly trying to achieve. However, I do think there is a place to talk about things on a more practical level. I'm not a fan of 'Life-Hacks', or '5 Things…' or 'Simple Solutions to All Your Problems'. I think they put too much emphasis on the little things themselves and miss the purpose behind why they are important. And with that being said, here's a list!
Four Ways To Take Control Of Your Inbox
1. It's A Trap!
First of all, don't have your email open all the time. If you do this, please stop! It's a constant distraction that will pull you away from the work you should be doing. It is so easy to fall into the email trap. Now assuming you don't keep your email open all the time - but maybe you need to hop into it to get some information or check something. Don't fall into the trap of opening new emails or worse yet, replying to something! You need to schedule time in your day to check and reply to emails. I set some time aside each morning and at the end of the work day (usually about 30-45 min) to go through my emails and reply to everything I need to. Knowing I have this time set aside means I don't have to jump every time an email comes in. Unless it's something really important or pressing - it can wait until later. Obviously there are things that come up from time to time. But having this as my 'normal' helps me avoid the email trap.
2. Filters Are Your Friend
I don't like my inbox to become a cluttered mess, full of things that can become a distraction. This is especially true when it comes to newsletters and email lists I'm on. Here's how I deal with this.
I sign up for very few newsletters, I opt out anytime I'm on some website that collects my email, I unsubscribe from anything I'm not truly interested in. I only want emails coming in that are important and I have a desire to see. I have a separate email for all my online stuff - banking/bills/personal things. That's where all those emails go so it doesn't clog up my work email (also, when I'm not working I can use this email address if I need and don't have to open up my work email and fall into the trap).
There are valuable newsletters that I do subscribe to. Industry mail-outs (like FAI, FMO, SOCAN etc.). And there are also artist newsletters I really enjoy. But again, I don't want these constantly landing in my inbox. Here's how I deal with this.
First I create folders for these to go in. I have an 'Industry Newsletters' folder and an 'Artist Newsletter Folder'. When I sign up for something and the first email lands in my inbox I create a filter. This allows me to have the email skip my inbox and go right to it's assigned folder. Now instead of getting sporadic newsletters that land in my inbox all the time. I have one place they all go.
Once every week or so, I can go through this folder and get caught up on what's going on. It's kinda like the Sunday paper - lots of great info, and I can take it in all at once when I've got the time and the headspace for it.
3. Scheduled Send
Emails are not text messages, they are not a good way to have a conversation. Yet we sometimes fall into this. We'll be sending emails, and moments later someone will reply. They're online, they know you are online. So you should reply, and so it begins. If you need to have a conversation with someone, try calling or Zooming (is Zooming a word?) - it's way quicker than a thread of emails. Often these exchanges end up being convoluted as emails are getting fired back and forth. Here's what I do to avoid this:
When I sit down for one of my email sessions and go to send the email, I do a scheduled send for 1 hour later. I do this for all the emails I send out during this time. So after I'm done and have moved on, all the emails get fired off. People can respond on their time, and I can address when needed, and reply when I do my next email session.
4. Emails To Yourself
This is one of my favourites! All too often you may be in an email conversation with someone, maybe a presenter, and they say - 'let's pick this up in the fall'. How are you going to remember that 6 months later? Maybe you put it on a to-do list, or in your calendar, or it just sits in your inbox and hope you'll come back to it in six months. This is what I do:
I 'reply' to the email, but only send it to myself. I'll add any notes to myself in the email body about what I need to do - IE 'touch base about tour'. And then schedule it to send in six months when I want to touch base. Then I hit send and move the thread over to the appropriate folder, and I don't have to worry about it. Six months later, an email will come into my inbox (from me), to remind myself to follow up. And because I've 'replied' to the thread, all the information is right there. I can quickly review and respond.
In Conclusion
I began by saying I'm not a big fan of lists like this, but I do think there is a purpose for them. In this case, the purpose is not to have a more organized inbox - although that is the side effect. The purpose is to give yourself more time and space to do what you should be doing, creating! We all do so many things that take up our time and keep us distracted from the things we should be focusing on. It's easy to pretend like we don't have control over those things. While it does take a bit of effort, the time and headspace you can gain are more than worth it.
~ Steve