Email hacks
Two quick email hacks I use to reduce overwhelm whilst catching the important stuff
If your email inbox is causing you massive amounts of overwhelm, fills you with dread and results in you compulsively checking it everyday to see if anything has blown up or if you're getting fired, then keep reading for some hacks that I use to keep the email beast at bay.
Less is more
Firstly, I am a big believer that less is more with things like email folders and filters. I basically have no folders (except a grant finance one and a “nice things” one which I always forget to use). Going overboard on folders just creates more work for you categorising stuff and is a convenient procrastination tool to avoid doing more important things like research.
Suggested filters/rules
I do use one filter myself: the mailing list filter. I recommend a second filter for clients who are struggling with missing important stuff, or are worried about getting in trouble, and that is the VIP filter. Continue reading to hear more.
The mailing list filter simply takes the regular mailing lists that you’re on (departmental, faculty, research field newsletter, union etc.) and puts them all in a folder together. You can have a little look at the end of the day or even the week and read the ones you like, just leave the others there.
The VIP filter creates a special folder for those important people in your life. Your boss might be on there. Your research collaborators. Your teaching assistants, the Dean, your PhD students. Perhaps even students on the course you’re currently teaching if you need to keep a close eye on it. Don’t add all of these though! Keep it restricted, these are VIPs. But whatever you’re keen not to miss or want to give a prompt responses can take priority -- part of the point is to reduce your dependency on checking email compulsively. The VIPs may change over the course of the year.
You could just do this for your research collaborators, meaning that you don't have to process tonnes of email or get distracted when you're trying to do research but need to speak to them about something.
How to do it?
How do you create filters? Or rules as Microsoft calls them? I’ll include Outlook instructions as that’s what I’m on (I use the browser but check out the instructions from Microsoft here for Desktop if this doesn't work) and most people I know.
Find your VIP
Right click and choose rules > create rule
Select to always move messages from this sender to your VIP folder (if you haven't created it, you can select Create new folder
Repeat for mailing list but in this case you may need to go into more options and then change the "To" field rather than the "From" field. Again, check out the full instructions here.
Pro-tip: change your default open to your VIP folder, rather than your inbox. In the browser this is easy, just bookmark that folder into your favourites. In the desktop version, try this:
Click the File tab
Select Options
Click the Advanced tab
Click the Browse button next to Start Outlook in this folder
Select the folder you want to use as the default e.g. VIP.
