Let’s be honest – our inboxes can feel like wild beasts, constantly chasing us, people demanding our attention, new messages appearing like a terrible magic trick…ping ping ping…the emails keep coming.

Even when we’re meant to be relaxing on holiday or enjoying family time. One little peek on your phone email app turns into an hour of replying, flagging, forwarding, and more overwhelm.

Sound familiar?

Don’t worry, you’re not alone.

So many of my brilliant business connections tell me they feel glued to their inbox, like it’s their only job, rather than a tool within their business comms.

I’ll let you into a secret – I used to be in this crowd too.

But guess what? It doesn’t have to be this way.

Here’s my favourite, tried-and-tested quick tips for escaping your inbox – no judgement, no preachy advice, just things that actually work (and are easy to do):

Use Rules and Filters

Set up filing or automatic labelling, and forwarding for different types of emails. Newsletters? Send into a “Read Later” pile. Internal comms? Direct to a folder for a once a day reply session. Event Promotions?  Collate into one place to review with your monthly planning. Create a clear space for your priority emails (customers & supplier invoices) without lifting a finger.

Check It Less (I  know…this feels wrong, but trust me)

Try checking your inbox at 2 x set times each day. I suggest 11am and 3pm as a bit of a trial. This stops you from constantly switching tasks or reacting when you get a new email notification, and gives you more focus without losing control.

File Like A Demon

A tidy inbox = a tidy mind. Create folders (or labels) that make sense to you – perhaps by client, project, or internal vs external. Inbox zero might be a long shot, but having just the emails requiring action in your inbox will ensure nothing gets lost or missed.

Templates Are Your Friend

Regular emails that you send all the time can be templated. Create reusable templates and save them in your drafts to save time and energy, and help you reply quickly. Things like Thank you emails, monthly updates/summaries, introductions, payment confirmations – all these can be done in a flash.

Log Off

This one’s not techy – it’s just a friendly reminder that it’s OK to shut your laptop and turn off your phone notifications. The world won’t end. You deserve proper time away from work.

It’s That Simple…

You don’t have to tackle everything all at once – these tips are simple, quick to try, and designed to make life easier. Pick one or two and see how much lighter your inbox (and your brain) feels. Then try another. Before you know it, you’ll have escaped the clutches of your inbox monster and feel free, focused, and ready to spend time on the things (and people) that really matter.

Let’s ditch the overwhelm and bring back the joy.

Keep an eye out for our next blog coming soon!

If you fancy more tips, ideas, and solutions to help you run your business smoothly – join the M&M Mailer community by signing up for my mailing list.

You can also connect with me on LinkedIn or Instagram – I’d love to support you and cheer you on.

And if you have questions, want to chat about anything you’ve read, or need help tackling your inbox overwhelm, let’s talk! Book a call with me here.