If you do not have a clear routine in handling your emails, they can quickly become a source of considerable time loss. On the other hand if you do what is necessary at the organizational level so as not to let yourself be invaded by dozens of unread emails. Then you can free your mind from any possibility of missing an important email. In this article are listed a number of proven practices. By adopting them, you will certainly be able to manage your mailbox much more serenely.
Automatically or manually classify any email in a dedicated folder or sub-folders.
This is the type of method that will allow you to quickly sort your emails in order of importance. You can choose to classify your emails by theme, by subject, by deadlines. The important thing is to take advantage of all fonctionnalities of your mailbox to manage your mails in a fully operational way. Once you have created a directory with folder and subfolder according to the organization mode that suits you. Each message will have its place in your mailbox like each paper file on your desk. So, once the moment has elapsed to process your emails, you can concentrate 100% on the rest of your work.
Plan a specific time for the processing of your emails
Of course, you must remain responsive and be able to process messages that await an immediate response from you. For the rest, plan the most relevant moment (s), to deal with your emails in a consistent manner. Start by preparing all the elements necessary for the processing of your work. Paper files, staplers, printers, everything must be handy to facilitate maximum concentration. No matter when you choose. Now that your mailbox is organized like a postal sorting center, you have the possibility of processing your emails calmly with efficiency and speed.
Clean your mailbox by deleting all unnecessary newsletters
Is your mailbox constantly parasitized by uninteresting newsletters or advertisements? Take care to rid your mailbox of all these newsletters that look more like spam than anything else. You must systematically unsubscribe from all these mailing lists which do not bring you anything concrete and which can quickly become more invasive. You can using tools like cleanfox where Unroll Me do the necessary in a few clicks. Without taking you a morning, this type of solution will help you enormously to put an end to all this digital pollution. Thousands of emails can be processed relatively quickly.
Set up an automatic response
You will soon be going on vacation for a long time. A detail not to be overlooked, activated the automatic reply of your mailbox. This is something important so that all the people with whom you correspond professionally by email are well informed of your absence. Many misunderstandings are possible when a customer or supplier loses patience, because these messages remain unanswered. This can easily be avoided with a short message that will be sent automatically during your vacation. You just need to indicate the date of your return from vacation and why not the email of a colleague if necessary.
Temper the number of emails you send in copy
Systematically using emails sent in carbon copy (CC) and invisible carbon copy (CCI) can quickly generate endless exchanges. People who were only supposed to receive your message for information, now require clarification. Others wonder why they received this message and rightly perceive it as a waste of time. When making the choice to put someone in the loop, make sure that your choice is really relevant. Messages sent to anyone in any way should be avoided.
Remember that an email can have legal value
As far as possible keep all your emails, they have the force of proof, in particular to the industrial tribunal. An electronic message if it is certified with the same legal value as a letter that you would have written by hand. But beware, even a simple message sent without thinking to a colleague or to a client can have serious consequences. If a customer proves, email has the support, that you have not respected your commitments in terms of delivery or other. You will have to bear the consequences for your business and for yourself. In commercial disputes as in industrial tribunals, the proof is said to be "free". That is to say that it is the judge who will decide and that it is better to have carefully classified his emails than to have put them in the trash.
