Welcome to our Office Hacks series, where we offer tips and tricks to make your life just a little bit easier. Today, we take a deep dive into the bane of nearly everyone’s existence: a crowded inbox.
If you work in the front office of a dental office, you likely spend a lot of time sorting through emails. In fact, the average working professional spends 28% of their workday reading and answering emails. That’s more than two-and-a-half hours!
To help you spend more of your valuable time on your patients and team, here are some quick tips you can use to help hack your email into something much more manageable.
Find a way of organizing that works best for you
Some may argue there is no point in sorting emails and it is more of a time-saver to search a perpetually full inbox. But the problem with that mindset is that no matter what, you are going to find yourself re-reading emails, even if you don’t do so intentionally. It is even estimated that people lose around 27 minutes a day from re-reading emails in a full inbox.
That’s why it is a good idea to organize the emails you want to keep. And just like organizing a closet or bookshelf, there is no one surefire method that will work for everyone. Front Page offers several solutions on how to get your inbox tamed, including:
- Time-based solution: As emails funnel in, you can sort them by when they require action: Today, This Week, This Month, etc. If you handle items with various deadlines, this method might be a good fit for you.
- 4 D’s solution: This method boils down all emails to four simple action items: do it, delete it, defer it, delegate it. While this no-fuss approach may not work for everyone, it is an easy way to guarantee a nearly-empty inbox.
- OHIO solution: This stands for Only Handle it Once. For those who don’t want to fuss with folders or categories, this method is about as simple as it gets. Either respond, delete or add to a task management tool (or to-do list) for later.
Unsubscribe from email lists
Whether we like it or not, we’re probably on a lot of business email lists and those sales emails can quickly junk up an inbox. Give yourself some breathing room by unsubscribing manually to ensure you are removed from that business’ list. Some websites can do this automatically (for free or at a cost) by linking up with your inbox. But be warned: some may sell your information to third parties, so do your research!
Batch delete emails from the same sender
If you get social media notifications or other automated emails, this is a great way to clean house all in one sweep. Depending on your email provider, there may be several ways you can go about it. But in general, most email platforms can search by sender, select all and then delete. If you have Outlook, you can also get fancy with rules.
Bonus Hack: Leave the sender empty until the end
This is a simple hack that can save the embarrassment of accidentally sending an email before you are ready. Whether you are replying to an email or sending one fresh, leave the “To” section empty until after you have completed the email with a spell check and proofread.
The bottom line: The key to making these tips work is committing to staying on top of your inbox. Set aside a few minutes every morning or night to check your emails and either delete the ones you don’t need or file them away.
