What do you do if your email inbox is overwhelming and taking up too much of your time?

1 Set clear boundaries and expectations

One of the first steps to reduce your email stress is to set clear boundaries and expectations for yourself and others. This means deciding when and how often you will check and respond to emails, and communicating this to your colleagues, clients, and partners. For example, you can set a specific time slot in your calendar for email processing, and use an auto-responder or a signature to inform others of your availability and response time. This way, you can avoid interruptions and distractions, and focus on your priority tasks and projects.

3 Follow the 4 Ds rule

The 4 Ds rule is a simple and practical method to handle your emails in an efficient and timely manner. It stands for Delete, Delegate, Do, or Defer. If the email is irrelevant, spam, or outdated, delete it or archive it. If the email is not your responsibility or expertise, forward it to someone else who can handle it better. If the email is urgent, important, or can be done in less than two minutes, do it right away and reply or take action. Otherwise, defer it to a later time and mark it as unread or flag it for follow-up. By following the 4 Ds rule, you can avoid procrastination and indecision while managing your emails in a systematic and productive way.

4 Unsubscribe, block, or mute

Sometimes, the best way to manage your email inbox is to reduce the amount of emails you receive in the first place. This means unsubscribing from newsletters, promotions, or notifications that you don't need or want, blocking or reporting spam or phishing emails, or muting or ignoring threads or conversations that are irrelevant or annoying. By doing this, you can save yourself time and energy, and prevent unnecessary stress and frustration.

5 Use templates, canned responses, or automation

Finally, you can also save time and effort by using templates, canned responses, or automation tools to handle common or repetitive emails. Templates are pre-written messages that you can customize and reuse for different situations, such as requests, confirmations, or feedback. Canned responses are short and standard replies that you can insert with a click or a shortcut, such as thank you, sorry, or I'll get back to you. Automation tools are software or apps that can perform certain tasks or actions for you, such as sending reminders, scheduling appointments, or updating statuses. By using these tools, you can speed up your email communication, and avoid typing the same thing over and over again.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?