Leo Babauta: my 10 email habits

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

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Email can be a great working tool, or it can turn into an annoying source of procrastination, and it's just how you use it yourself. There was a time when I filed for complete bankruptcy of email, and now I check it 2-3 times a day every day, but it goes quickly and efficiently.

I have developed several habits that help me work very effectively with my mail and better focus on other important work. And to be honest, my inbox is finally empty and it feels great. I will give 10 of my habits in this article. It does not mean at all that you have to blindly follow them, I just want to show my path, and on its basis you may pave your own. So, here are the habits that work for me:

Look in the mail less often

I don't keep my mailbox open all day. And I look into it infrequently. I came to the conclusion that if 20-30 letters accumulate in my inbox, then the world will not collapse, at the same time, it will be easy for me to quickly process exactly this amount. Attention! I say process, not read. I open my inbox to scatter messages in other folders, not to read them and leave them right there.

Scatter into folders

I open my mail and start making quick decisions: delete or archive, read and reply immediately (if it takes less than 2 minutes) or archive, send a quick reply and then archive, add to my to-do list to do this later (mark with an asterisk and then archive). In any case, NOTHING should be left in the inbox.

Add everything to the calendar immediately

If a letter comes to me with a date that I must remember, I immediately enter it into the calendar. A face-to-face meeting or a Skype conversation, a workout or something that I have to remember only after a week - everything is immediately sent to the calendar. Now this is my best habit, it has been brought to automatism, and thanks to it, I rarely forget about something.

Use "hot keys"

I use Gmail, which provides a variety of keyboard shortcuts for my mail. In fact, it took me only a few minutes to learn them, and then the muscle memory remembers the keys.

Here are the shortcuts I use:

"Gi" - return to inbox;

"E" - archive;

"#" - delete;

"C" - create a new message;

"R" - answer;

"F" - forward;

"A" - answer everyone;

"Gs" - go to marked;

"Tab + Return" - when I create a message, then immediately send it and archive.

I also use the setting when, after deleting or archiving a message, I automatically go to the next one without returning to the inbox, this allows you to quickly move through the messages.

Write short letters

My reply to a letter is usually 1-3 sentences. Rarely do I write letters longer than 5 sentences. And there must be a good reason for that. If I really need to write a lot, I'd rather do it in Google Docs and share it with the right person. A short letter means a quick response from the recipient, because a person does not have to wade through the jungle of your eloquence in order to capture and assimilate key information.

Quickly add tasks to a todo list

Some people use inbox as a to-do list, but it is not well suited for this, and here's why:

1. The tasks to be done are mixed with other letters, and then it is difficult to catch them out of the crowd.

2. The story in the letter does not always contain a specific guide to action, but based on the letter, you can set yourself a task. When you are about to complete it, you will have to re-read the letter again to remember what specific task you set yourself after reading it.

3. Every time you look in your mail to catch another task, you come across new messages that attract your attention and distract from the main tasks, disrupting the work rhythm.

A simple and convenient todo list is a regular text document where you can add tasks from letters in just a couple of clicks. And during work, such a sheet will be a more effective tool, because you do not have to look at the inbox all the time.

Store only unread messages in inbox

This is a trick for advanced users. I hacked my Gmail inbox in such a way that it can no longer store read messages. This means that if I open the letter and do not drop it into any other folder, then it will simply disappear. This motivates me to make a decision about how to deal with this letter, immediately, or I will simply lose it. Thanks to this specific setting, open messages do not accumulate in my inbox, which gradually become garbage.

Put aside for reading

Often they send me links to articles. I immediately send them to Instapaper for reading later. This is why I try to spend less time on the mail, because I have so many interesting things to read besides it.

Filter mercilessly

When a letter appears in my inbox that I would not like to see, I deal with it immediately. I'm not lazy to unsubscribe from the mailing list or install a filter on this sender. And this significantly reduces the flow of incoming emails. I am ruthless about the letters that clog my inbox, and this rule applies even to people who bother me too much.

Close mail at the end of the processing of letters

Disassembled messages - close the mail and do not open for several hours until there is a sufficient number of letters again.

Getting into some effective email habits is a good thing. You will immediately notice how much calmer you have become to carry out more important tasks, getting rid of the intrusive email check every 10 minutes. Your head will be free for fresh thoughts as soon as your inbox is free of unnecessary emails. Good luck!