(These tips were originally shared on LinkedIn by the Inbox Airlock founder Tadas )
In random order:
8️⃣ Disable notifications and unread message counts. No, really. Check your email at dedicated times only. It’s meant to be an async tool.
6️⃣ Action important emails first. Bulk archive the rest.
2️⃣ Use snooze function. Hide important, but not urgent emails until you have time to deal with them. Cognitive load is real and you don’t want to be constantly reminded about that email you can’t do anything about right now.
7️⃣ If you’re an exec, hire an executive assistant, they are a force multiplier.
5️⃣ Keyboard Shortcuts: Learn keyboard shortcuts for your email client to speed up navigation and actions.
3️⃣ Unsubscribe & Filter: Search for “unsubscribe” in your inbox. Unsubscribe from newsletters you never read.
4️⃣ Automatically mark as read. Create a filter based on keywords that will automatically archive email you might want to keep, but never be notified about (think audit trail for automated notifications)
1️⃣ Consider multiple email accounts. Use one for personal comms, one for newsletters and online services, and internal one for work and a separate public work address.
Sounds like a lot of effort? I agree. Luckily, you can just forget all that and use Inbox Airlock. It’s a lightweight solution designed for busy people who want to keep their important email comms separate from the noise. See how it works in the comments section.