Do you check email first thing in the morning—only to look up and realize that a whole hour has passed, and you’re still doing email?
That used to be me. In fact, I used to get so many emails that I could literally spend all day in my inbox. Email took hours of productivity out of my week—can you relate?
I’ve always been a morning person—that’s when I have the most energy and focus. But for so long, I used to waste those peak hours clicking through my inbox.
Here’s the problem
The trouble with looking at email before I set my intentions for the day was that it put me in “reactive” mode from the very start. Instead of focusing on my priorities, I was allowing other people to dictate what I worked on by reacting to their emails.
Something had to change.
So, I told my team I wasn’t going to reply to email before 11 or 11:30 AM—unless they specifically told me there was something that needed my response before then.
And here’s the kicker: in a year’s time (out of hundreds of thousands of emails) I only got one ping that said someone needed me to look at an email before 11.
The reality is that no one is sitting at their computer and waiting for you to respond. Contrary to our anxious impulses, we do not need to respond immediately to every email that comes our way.
A better alternative
Here’s what I suggest: Do not open your email until at least 10:30 or 11 in the morning.
Instead, work on your own priorities while you are fresh.
By saying goodbye to the morning inbox check, I was able to use my best hours to make progress on the projects and tasks that meant the most to me.
If you are really concerned about the delay in your response time, consider creating an auto-response, indicating that you only respond to emails a couple of times each day. Suggest that for emergencies they call or text—whichever is likely to get immediate attention.
“But,” you say, “my business is different!”
I hear you. Perhaps you have a business in which there are true emergencies, and you want to be able to filter through those emails quickly.
In this case, consider setting an alert that buzzes your phone only for those certain emails (either based on subject or sender). You can also color code those emails so they appear in a special color in your inbox.
If you find that email is taking up too much of your morning, I encourage you to give this strategy a try. It might feel counterintuitive at first, but the results are revolutionary.
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I just finished my first Email Challenge: 5 Days to Inbox ZERO with great results. If you’re interested in joining the next one, comment below or send me a message.
