This month we have been featuring articles on how to reduce stress. Email and inboxes are “great” sources of stress. So here are some tips to help you reduce your “e-stress”:
- Turn off the dings and flashes. In addition to interrupting you, the trigger can be a stressor. You hear it, you tighten up—who’s emailing me now? Go into you inbox when it fits in your schedule, not when “it” shows up.
- Stop connecting to your email within an hour of going to sleep. Seriously, what GOOD can come of you checking your email as you’re turning your light out? It will be there in the morning when you are rested and alert — that’s the better time to handle it.
- Resist the perceived need to respond immediately. In other words, stop checking your email incessantly. It puts unnecessary pressure on you. Handling emails within 2 hours of receipt will more than satisfy your emailing fans.
- If you read something in an email message that upsets you, act quickly to seek clarification. So many messages are misinterpreted – pick up the phone and put it in the proper perspective.
- If you think an email you plan to send will upset someone, don’t send it. Pick up the phone or visit instead…
What other stress reducers have you used with your email management?
And a favor: We are putting the final touches on a resource that we’ll make available in late January — Email Productivity Gems. We will love it if you take less than a minute to answer a one question survey, so that we can make sure to address your most major concerns in this tool. Here is the link. Thanks muchly!
