~by Natalia Levey~
The importance of detoxing our bodies is the hot topic of many doctors and nutritionists. But what about the health of our electronic communication, email? It may be time for an email detox.
These days the idea of a handwritten letter seems prehistoric. Typewriter? What is that? Even fax appears to be outdated. Most of us have effectively switched to email as a main form of personal or business communication. It’s fast, efficient, and most of the time provides immediate response to your inquiry.
Email Detox?
Many businesses use email as a way to provide you with their daily, weekly or monthly updates. “The list” is a widespread term identifying the number of subscribers that the potential marketing campaign can reach.
How many of you are guilty of hoarding emails for months, maybe years? Have you looked over at someone’s (or your own) inbox, and saw thousands of UNOPENED emails? “Order these vitamins today!”, “Have you set up an appointment for your taxes?”, and so on and so on. Does this sound familiar? These unnecessary emails take up a lot of data. The idea of going through them can cause anxiety! Not to mention having to look for something that really is important! Have you seen shows about hoarders on TV? Let’s get you out of that zone and get you functioning more efficiently.
In order to be EFFICIENT in anything, solid systems need to be implemented.
Here are some useful suggestions for DECLOGGING your inbox:
1. Anything you haven’t looked at for a year can probably be assumed to be not necessary. Scan your inbox and get rid of it.
2. Look through all your subscriptions and determine which ones truly add value to your life. UNSUBSCRIBE from the rest.
3. Become selective of who you give your email address to. Certain subscriptions are really not worth it.
4. Create folders either inside the mailbox or a system in Excel or Word where you can designate categories for each area of interest.
5. If you are not able to go through all the emails during the day, set up 2 times that would work and only do it then. Make sure you set the timer for 15-30 minutes.
6. Pick a number – let’s say 10. The new rule is – you won’t end your day until you have the number of unopened emails down to 10.
7. Set aside time on the weekend to go through the rest. By Sunday night there should be ZERO unopened emails in your inbox.
See – don’t you feel better already? Now that the strategy has been identified, which steps will you implement this week?
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Natalia Levey
Meet the Author: Natalia Levey
As a professional chef, certified health coach and a member of the American Association of Nutritional Consultants, Natalia Levey works with individuals and groups to help them reach their optimum health, obtain more energy and improve their relationship with food.
Natalia is the founder of Healthy Intent – www.healthy-intent.com
She loves dogs, science, organization and sports.
