| HOW TO SUCCESSFULLY MANAGE YOUR EMAIL INBOX |
| Set aside time for checking emails. Make it once a day if you can. If you need to check twice a day, do it late morning and late afternoon. Give yourself a time limit, 15 or 20 minutes at most. Turn off notifications and close the email program when you’re not checking it. If people feel a communication is critical, they’ll call or text you. The only time to violate this rule is if you’re expecting an email with an important financial or legal document and your response is time-critical. |
| Only keep emails that require action in your inbox. These are emails you need to respond to at some point. Of course, if you can reply to the email immediately, do so. |
| Accept that you don’t need to reply to every email. Sometimes, no reply within a certain time period is considered a reply in itself. |
| Create subfolders. Use these to group emails. The subfolders could be labeled for reference materials you’ll need to access in the future, topics others have questions on, support for your decisions or advice, and a “waiting folder” for emails that need action from someone else before you can respond. Some people also like to have a “Reply By (Day of the Week)” folder, assigning a day when they’ll respond. |
| Set inbox filters. Many email programs let you set up inbox filters that instantly categorize emails. The filter rules put emails into different folders that can be color-coded and prioritized by the sender. These filtered folders help make your follow-up timelier. |
| Delete promotional email sales messages. The third time you delete a promotional email without checking it, unsubscribe from that list. |
| Ask to be removed from group messages that don’t apply to you. Gmail offers a mute button. With other email programs you’ll have to send a short message letting the sender know you don’t feel you’re relevant to the conversation anymore. |
| Avoid internal email forwarding. Your colleagues get enough external emails. Avoid cluttering their inboxes (and yours!), and send them a text with the info instead. |
| Create templated replies. Write some stock responses for typical questions, such as requests for appointments, or general requests about your services. Also save time by creating a consistent signature for your emails. |
| Sync emails to your phone. This lets you use downtime, such as waiting in a supermarket line, to quickly clean up your inbox. |
The Jim Passi Team at Citywide Home Loans proudly serves Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, Georgia and Flordia. If you are looking to buy a home or refinance, we have you covered. Apply Now to get started.
