Summary.
Email has become the bane of the 21st century workers’ existence, but by making a few changes to how we process e-mail, we can take back time in our workday. For starters, move every email out of your inbox the first time you read it, so you don’t run the risk of re-reading it later, thus wasting time. Turn off distracting notifications and instead check your email hourly, setting aside 5 to 8 minutes per hour to do so. Instead of filing e-mails you want to keep in multiple folders, use just two: One for e-mails that are just “reading” and don’t require a response, and one for e-mails that require a response. Set up automated filtering for newsletters you actually use, unsubscribe from those you don’t, and block spam and other emails that keep coming after you’ve tried to unsubscribe. Implementing these practices can help make e-mail a much more effective tool for getting work done.
The average professional spends 28% of the work day reading and answering email, according to a McKinsey analysis. For the average full-time worker in America, that amounts to a staggering 2.6 hours spent and 120 messages received per day.