Ignore or deal with it?...what to do with an unruly inbox

Six days of skiing at some of the best mountains in Colorado – no emails, no meetings (except with the hot tub), no being at my best. A great break with family doing what we love best: being outside, pushing outside our comfort zones, and great meals at the end of the day.One day, my visiting cousin joined us. As we sat in the beautiful sun and shared après-ski nachos, he shared pictures of my nephews on his phone. I happened to notice the red circle in the top corner of an icon, 9,000+ emails. My heart leapt into my throat.And then the re-entry. After not checking email for 6 days straight (ahh) I opened it up early Monday morning. The familiar dread set in. Ignore the previous weeks of emails and move forward? Or buckle in for the next few hours and address each one? I can’t ignore them… (Read more about my struggles with non-responders).I don’t want to spend too much time on this. Where to begin…I followed a few tools experts and a colleague have recommended over the years. And surprisingly, the dread disappeared. I got through the emails over the course of 2+ days. You can use these simple tactics post-vacation, Monday, or every day of the week when your inbox becomes unruly.

1. Set a timer for 15 minutes to quickly review what’s there. You can try 30 minutes post-vacation. Try this every day – works wonders!
2. Delete ads, news services, daily reviews, etc.
3. Respond to anything that will take 1 minute or less (Yes, go ahead with that idea; No, can’t make it; Please come talk to me about this; etc.)
4. File away emails that don’t require action.
5. Prioritize remaining emails.

I have found this last tool to be one of the most useful. I created categories and I can organize my emails this way so I can see the most prioritized at the top of my list, and know to address those first. I use the following categories, in order of priority –Client – A client has a question or checked in with me. I respond typically within 24 hoursProspect – A prospect has a question or request. Respond within 24 hoursPriority 1 – Something I want to address that day (ideally!)Priority 2 – Something that needs to be addressed, but doesn’t need to be done todayPending – I am waiting for a response from someone (and don’t want to forget it’s hanging out there)Read – Something that looks interesting and I want to get back to it. No action required. This is good for me when I have a few minutes waiting for a meeting to begin, picking up at (or during) a hockey practice, etc. I also try to set aside some time on Fridays to spend 30 minutes reading through these emails. Preferable sitting outside.If you have thousands of emails to review – like my cousin – set a metric for how many emails you will delete, file, or respond to every day. Knowing you will be done with this boulder in 5 days will keep you motivated.Full disclosure: This system works most of the time, but not all the time. As I write this to you, I am holding back from dealing with the many emails with ‘Read’ categories and a few ‘Priority 1’.I am a structural thinker, meaning I like processes and guidelines. This is a system that works for me, and many of my clients. What works for you? Have you tried the ignore tactic? What have you noticed? Does the important outreach come back to you in a second attempt? Consider what makes you feel most comfortable and allows you to do what you do best. I do not recommend building a system or spending a good chunk of time doing something that doesn’t make you happier or focused on what matters most.And now back to my inbox…