Step 6: LESS DISTRACTIONS
[text_block style=”style_1.png” align=”left”]
Welcome to my 7 Step Email Inbox System
where the ultimate goal is to remove the stress of an overflowing inbox, & help you to manage your inbox so that you can be more productive.
The aim of this program is to give you valuable tips on how to manage your day without falling into the trap of spending all your time in your Inbox.
Or do Step 2 and 3 together, for even more efficiency
To Store, go to Step 4
Step 5 recap here.
[/text_block]
[text_block style=”style_1.png” align=”left”]
Your inbox should be looking a lot healthier and causing you a lot less stress by now, so let’s talk about where to from here…
The aim of Step 6 is to keep your Inbox from distracting you, so that you don’t
- waste time switching from emails, to social media, to your work – TOTALLY UNPRODUCTIVE!
- go down rabbit holes of reading emails you don’t need to know about,
- waste time reading and following paths of information that’s not pertinent to your current goals.
- feel stressed & overloaded by the overwhelming amount of information coming at you every day
Besides the 5 steps you have taken already, there are a few other things you can do to minimise the distractions and stay focused:
- Take email off of your phone, or at least stop the notifications showing up on your phone
- Stop the notifications showing up on your computer
- Set boundaries around when you check your Inbox each day.
Give yourself an appropriate amount of time each day, based on the size of your daily inbox. It might be only 10 minutes, or it might be an hour, but only check your emails a that time. - You can also communicate this to your community. Add it to your email signature in a nice friendly way, add it to the end of your newsletter, add it to your client information packs.
Remember, if something was really urgent, they can FB message you, or text if they have your number (if you give it to them). - Another option is to split your Inbox Monitoring into 2 sessions. If you work via email with several clients, you could offer a 2nd hour a day, just for responding to current client queries – just set the boundaries and stick to them as much as possible.
- NEVER check your email first thing in the morning. You are procrastinating from doing the real work you had intended on doing, and it’s a surefire way of not starting work until after morning tea!
[/text_block]
Your ACTION STATION for Step 6
Consider which suggestions you would like to implement, and set about establishing your schedule, communication and systems to support it.
As a minimum, I recommend having a routine time to check and deal with emails – rather than ad hoc. Setting a time to get them all done is a great way to make the most of your Email time too.
You might be surprised how much you can actually get done in 20 minutes!
This obviously leaves more time for the revenue generating business, or for quality time with your family – both vital to your own happiness and productivity!
Have you commented in the Time Savvy Mums FB Group yet?
[text_block style=”style_1.png” align=”left”]
I’d love to know how you are going, and if you are starting to see the impact of taking control of your Inbox once and for all!
Let me know how it’s going, or if you have any other questions. You never know – they might help someone else too
xx Aerlie
Productivity & Systems Coach for Online Business Mums
Time Savvy Mums FB Group Link[/text_block]
