Emails.
There was a time when receiving them would get you excited.
It was like receiving an electronic surprise gift in your inbox every morning!
But, now those gifts have turned into despised distractions that are cluttering up your life.
If you're fed up with wasting time going through what emails are actually useful and those that are not, you're in for a treat.
Recently, I brought in the host of The Productive Woman podcast, Laura McClellan on a licensee mastermind call to give us her email organization tips.
Here are a few...
1) Set priorities for yourself.
To help with this, take a step back and ponder the below questions:
What kind of life do you want to have?
What kind of bookkeeper do you want to be?
How do you want to have your bookkeeping business run?
These are some questions you should ask even before opening your email.
Once you have your priorities straight, you'll be better able to select the right emails that are aligned with your priorities which makes it easier to cut out those that don't fit.
2) Set Rules For Your Inbox
With your priorities in mind, you can set the rule that you'll only accept emails from VIP clients (they are usually the customers you value the most and who need access to you consistently).
For the other email, you can...
a) Create other folders and place the emails in there.
b) Delegate the emails to an assistant.
c) Sign up for email management software such as Sane Box (https://www.sanebox.com/place) to help out with the above.
3) Turn Off All Email Alerts & Minimize Windows
When you need to really focus on your work, just turn off your email alerts on your desktop, laptop and phone.
There are various ways to do the above that are found in an easy Google search.
Here are some links:
https://support.google.com/inbox/answer/6067586?hl=en
https://support.google.com/calendar/answer/37242?co=GENIE.Platform%3DAndroid&hl=en
http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/22282/turn-off-desktop-email-alerts-in-outlook-2010/
http://qz.com/788533/iphone-7-and-ios-10-turn-off-your-iphone-notifications-and-four-more-ways-to-get-your-life-back/
Also, minimize any windows that have emails in them, so they don't distract you.
If you don't know how to do that, here are some tips:
https://support.apple.com/en-ca/HT201236
http://www.gcflearnfree.org/windows10/tips-for-managing-multiple-windows/1/
http://lifehacker.com/5390086/the-master-list-of-new-windows-7-shortcuts
4) Do What Works For You.
You can listen and read all the suggestions from productivity experts, but in the end, you're the one who has to execute.
For sure, learn from their tips, but take bits and pieces then implement the information that makes the most sense for you and the way you want to live your life.
Thank you Laura for the suggestions!
If you'd like to check out The Productive Woman podcast, visit http://theproductivewoman.com/.
If you'd like to hear Laura's full conversation with us, visit her episode on our new podcast, The Successful Bookkeeper at the below link.
http://www.thesuccessfulbookkeeper.com/episodes/07
Good luck with your email organization!
To your success,
Michael
