4 Simple Rules for Email Mastery (And Maintaining Sanity)
I hate email.
Well, that’s not entirely true. I love email as a tool. I hate how dependent we all seem to be on it (myself included).
I’ve come to realize that the more I check my email, the less happy I am. Here’s a crude mock-up of what this looks like for me (culled from years of my own very unscientific tracking):
I didn’t fully understand this connection until I began to learn more about conditioning and intermittent (random) reinforcement. My favorite explanation comes from behavioral economist Dan Ariely, in the excellent bookManage Your Day-to-Day from 99U:
“The psychologist B. F. Skinner came up with the idea of random reinforcement, where you give a rat a lever and every hundred times it presses the lever, it gets a piece of food. For the rat, that is exciting.
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But if the number is a random number — any number between one and one hundred — it actually ends up being more exciting. And the rat keeps on working much, much more, even if you take the reward away altogether.”
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Email is a great example of random reinforcement. Typically, when we “pull the lever” to check our e-mail, it’s not that interesting. But, from time to time, it’s exciting.
And that excitement (which happens at random intervals) keeps us coming back to check our e-mail over and over each day. Many times at the expense of our productivity levels and ultimately, our happiness.
Here are the four rules I (try to) follow to get the most out of email as a tool…and also use it as little as possible. I’ve also included a quick explanation of why it works, how often I’m able to actually stick to it (I’m far from perfect at it) and what sometimes gets in the way.
Hopefully these simple rules can help you gain a few extra minutes each day…along with a bit more of your sanity.
Rule #1: Check Email Less Than 10 Times Per Day
What: In the morning I take out a new Post-It note and write “Email” on the top of it. Every time I check my inbox, I place a tick on the paper. Once I get to 10, I can’t check email anymore for the day.
Instead of responding to things as they come in, I batch everything and use a Pomodoro session (25 minutes of focused work) to do them all at once.
Why: I want to be happy and productive (see ‘Email Effect’ above :).
Success Rate: ~80%
Pitfalls: I run into issues when I am in the middle of something like a big launch, negotiating a deal or when I’m waiting for immediate feedback on something.
Rule #2: Filter Ruthlessly
What: I setup Gmail filters to make sure things like newsletters, notifications and other non “mission critical” emails are bypassing my inbox and going to folders (labels) where I can check them when I want to.
Why: In order for Rule #1 to work, I have to make sure that only the most important emails are landing in my actual inbox.
Success Rate: ~95%
Pitfalls: This one is pretty straight-forward and I only run into problems if I don’t take the time immediately to setup a filter for a new type of email.
Here is a free cheatsheet you can fill out to practice rules #1 and #2-
Rule #3: OHIO
What: OHIO stands for Only Handle It Once. Email comes in and I deal with it right away by (a) replying (b) delegating or (c) deleting/archiving it.
Why: If an email comes in to my inbox and I don’t take immediate action on it, I wind up wasting time and mental energy…because I’m now adding on the time spent remembering (over and over) that I need to take action on it. So the OHIO rule cuts down on decision fatigue and also saves time.
Success Rate: ~90%
Pitfalls: Long, complicated emails.
Rule #4: No Email on My Phone
What: I don’t setup email on my phone. The only time I will add it is if I’m going to be out of my office for the day or traveling and then I remove it again once I am back.
Why: If email is on my phone, I will feel a greater pull to want to constantly check it whenever I am doing something like waiting in a line, walking down the street or if I even feel the slightest bit bored. Constantly checking email on my phone keeps me from experiencing life fully and it’s crucial to actually be a bit bored sometimes, because:
“Boredom is important work, and our phones are making us too lazy to do it.“
Success Rate: ~75%
Pitfalls: If I don’t uninstall Gmail right when I get back from a trip, it can be very easy for me to fall right back into my old habit of constantly checking it.
If you want to go further to really master email and implement these 4 simple rules, get your free cheatsheet below-
What are your email rules, habits or rituals?
Email is a powerful tool and as Uncle Ben said to Spiderman, “With great power comes great responsibility.” By following these simple rules, I have been able to be more productive with my use of email, my time spent with it and how it affects my state-of-mind.
But now I’d like to hear from you.
How do you manage your email? What do you still struggle with?
Leave a comment below.
WHAT ABOUT EMAIL TOOLS? There are a few that I consider absolutely indispensable…and next week I’ll share this list with you (along with the ways I use each one). Click here to get notified as soon as I release the list.
Hi Chris,
I was so happy to see a new post from you today!!!
I really struggle with email and I think a big part of it is that all of my coworkers and clients seem to expect immediate responses from me.
How can I fix this?
Thanks for all you do 🙂
Meg
I find that of all my unwanted (i.e., junk) email, 80% comes from – get this – people who are in the business of social media marketing.
I too Pomodoro my email, and I never ever leave a browser window open except if I’m actively looking for something. I do 3 pomos per day, email and browsing combined.
Also, I have 2 accounts, only one of which I give out freely to those who respect my time and their own — no jokes or junk allowed!
One thing that I’ve learned is that the less email I send, the less email I get back 🙂 I know it sounds silly but it really is true. So much of this is about training other people about what they will expect from you. So if you respond immediately, they’re going to expect that. Keep ’em guessing!
Thanks for the post, I’m going to start only checking 10 or less times each day tomorrow and I’ll let you know how it goes.
Kiara, you make a good point. We need to manage expectations of others, so setting your own ground rules is important. People will get to understand your reliability and then not expect an immediate response.
Hey Chris,
This Post totally applies to the frustrations that I encounter daily.
It’s almost like an addiction that I have to check my email hundreds of times a day.
I find that being in a Service-Based Business, the Clientele seem to want instant gratification more & more. Thus, it makes me feel guilty to be too far away from the email pipeline.
I’m going to try your great suggestions and see how I make out!
Thanks for all the helpful insight 🙂
Amber
While at work, unless I am expecting an email, (a response), I try to check my email 3 times a day, in the morning, around lunchtime and mid afternoon. I have filters set up for regular emails and if I can handle them quickly, print out an attachment, forward to someone who may need it, or just plain file it, I do that right away so I don’t have to touch it again. If it requires more work, it stays in my inbox until I take care of it, which becomes a problem as that list continues to grow.
When at home, I usually look through my emails, morning and night. That seems to get much more junk email, usually because I sign up for stuff. It it usually stuff I am interested in for a while, but then loose interest, and need to unsubscribe.
I appreciate everyone’s great thoughts and ideas.
Hi Chris
I work for myself – so the main problem I have is that emails are potentially new or more business for me – and thus I keep checking in case a business request comes in from one of my clients. And then I respond as things come in … which means I end up jumping from one thing to the next, and often don’t finish the first task I started on!
But I am going to try keep tabs on how many times I check email, and will definitely try focused sessions at intervals to attend more effectively to tasks.
Thanks for your insights.
Great article Chris, I am pulling out the post it note right now!! Also you are so right about dealing with e-mails while life is passing you by. Never thought of using pomodoro on my e-mail, gre at way to save time.
Thank you
Very nice article with good insights!
I love the OHIO concept, that’s a good way to remind it. The technique is known to me, yet I notice that I don’t apply it enough myself.
There are a lot of trick and tools that can help us organise the jungle of our inbox, I’m curious to know more about it.
The thing I still struggle with is: choice, the fear of missing out and information overload. But that’s maybe another topic. Trying to read it all, but knowing it’s in fact not possible. 🙂
Rule #4: No Email on My Phone has been a life change for me.
Hi,
Thank you for bringing this up!
It was and is something that can be most interrupting and time consuming habits if not addressed.
I find that there are differences between private mail and workmail:
If your job depends on keeping contact with clients – you have to go by your own discretion how often you should check and answer.
Private – I check once in the morning and evening.
Other than that I try to follow the rule of “touch it once and done” and find getting better at it helps a great deal!
Cheers
I really needed this one Chris! Most days I absolutely loathe my inbox and then I wind up resenting just about every email that comes in but I keep doing the same things every single day without fail. I read your post yesterday and I actually started counting how many times I check my email and it was shocking. Over 100!! I am going to try to stick to 10 today (it’s a Saturday after all) and see how it goes. Thank you so much for all of your posts, they really help me!
Back in 2013, my biggest productivity gain came from a more hardcore version of this. My rule: No email inbox and no random internet browsing until 3pm.
I set up labels for colleagues’ email addresses, and let myself check those. And a “search engine” in the browser for Gmail, so I could look up a specific email. But no inbox and no email processing until 3.
You’re right about the importance of boredom. Not having the immediate gratification of the inbox or Facebook, I had a few more seconds to orient myself towards my talks and goals. Not a panacea, but very, very helpful.
Just the post I needed today!! I have so many emails to go through and just keep putting them off. I really need to adopt OHIO and also start using my Poms to handle them, that is a great idea. I struggle with the content of my emails, as I get a lot of workshops, tutorials, etc that require me to read long articles or watch videos. Should I attack them as email time or research/learning time?
Hey Chris,
Great tips, I am already doing point 3, Try to response the email ASAP, for quick insights. One more thing I do that schedule some emails which I might / might not forgot send.
BTW our of your list the hardest thing for me to not get emails on mobile. I might hard habit to quit but will try that. I did this with Facebook and I am able to survive for two weeks with FB on my mobile. Let’s try for Gmail sometime.
Thanks for the wonderful article.