If you work in fast-paced office support jobs, demanding PA jobs, or challenging EA jobs, then your email inbox probably fills up faster than you can refill your coffee! According to recent studies, a third of UK workers send work emails late at night, at weekends, and even when they’re away on holiday. It’s time to take back control of your emails, so here are the top tips on email management from our leading London recruitment agency Love Success.
Tip #1 – Have a clear out
Having a completely empty inbox isn’t realistic for most people, especially those who work in PA jobs, but you should strive to have an inbox that feels manageable. If your inbox is overflowing with hundreds of unread emails, it takes up vital brain space and makes it feel like you have more work to do. So set aside time for an email clear out. This email ‘reset’ is short-term pain, but long-term gain.
Tip #2 – Unsubscribe
How many of the emails you receive are spam, junk, or things you no longer need? Rather than just deleting those irrelevant emails, unsubscribe from the ones you don’t need, want, or read. This will save you future time deleting them. Especially if you work in demanding PA and EA jobs, having a clearer inbox helps you quickly spot those important emails.
Tip #3 – File away
Think of your inbox as your current task list—things you’re working on, need to action, or are awaiting more information on. Use folders to file the emails you don’t need right now. One suggestion is to use your inbox for today’s work and have separate folders for the week’s work and the month’s work.
Tip #4 – Set priorities
Most good email servers offer priority-setting tools. For example, Gmail has different colour stars that you can assign to each email. Use the priority settings to mark tasks that are urgent, that you’re awaiting information on, or that require action. Some servers enable you to assign VIP senders, so their emails always arrive at the top of your inbox.
Tip #5 – Set boundaries
Studies found that 44% of workers frequently send work emails between 11pm and 6am—and the average worker spends 3 hours catching up on emails at the weekend. Ask yourself, is the email so important that you need to reply at 3am? While those working in PA and EA jobs need to be available at unusual hours to support their boss, it’s important to set clear boundaries on the hours you won’t reply to emails, such as night time, weekends, and on holiday.
Tip #6 – The 5-minute rule
The rule is simple: if it takes 5 minutes, do it now. If it takes a few minutes to reply to an email, do it straight away rather than leaving it. If you leave it till later, it takes up valuable brain and inbox space, and the person may chase you up to get an answer. If you can’t reply straight away, mark it as “unread” so you don’t forget about it.
Tip #7 – Templates
Finally, to save time on emails, make use of templates for those common, regular emails you send. Save them in your drafts and amend them when you need them. Just don’t forget to change the name and relevant details before you press send!
For more top tips to make your office life easier, stay tuned to the Love Success blog. If you’re looking for your next temp or permanent PA job to make use of your email management skills, get in touch with our team today.
Love Success is a leading PA and secretarial recruitment agency in London.
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