From Inbox Chaos to In Control: Conquering Email Procrastination Like a Boss!

Welcome to #002.

Hello to my new subscribers! Thank you for joining me in our shared mission to become our most productive selves.

I hope you're all geared up for a productive week ahead!

Recently, I've been struggling with procrastination, finding myself postponing tasks for weeks and ending up with a mountain of emails awaiting my attention. Interestingly, I noticed this tendency primarily affected my home-related emails, while I managed work-related tasks efficiently. Today, I want to share with you some strategies I am employing to overcome this challenge.

Less is More

I strongly believe that "less is more”. By reducing the number of tasks on our plates, we can allocate more focused energy to each task. However, in certain situations, we may not have the ability to reduce our workload, particularly when it comes to essential responsibilities. So, let's focus on how to tackle this issue.

Eliminate and Organise

To tackle the overwhelming number of unread emails and associated unfinished tasks, I took two key actions: elimination and organisation. First, I unsubscribed from email subscriptions (especially shopping-related emails), that were not a priority at the moment. One by one, I hit that "unsubscribe" button. Second, I created multiple inboxes categorised by topic: home, learning, and finance. Additionally, I set up filters to automatically label incoming emails with distinct colours and direct them to their respective inboxes. This approach has shown promising results! Just today, I completed a task that had been pending for 11 days. 🎉🎉 Although the system isn't perfect yet, I hope that with time, I'll refine and improve it further.

It’s About Time

Now, let's address the second factor contributing to my procrastination struggles: time. Yes, time, the ever-elusive resource. I realised that I hadn't allocated specific time slots for these tasks. After spending my entire day working on computers, the last thing I wanted was to open my email and face an additional list of tasks. Currently, I'm experimenting with different times to check my emails. As a starting point, I've dedicated Sundays to this task (not ideal, but it's a step in the right direction). Moving forward, I plan to try different time slots and allow myself a daily 10-minute window to stay on top of emails. Rest assured, I'll share the results with you.

Tackling procrastination is an ongoing process, and we're all works in progress. By implementing these strategies, I've already witnessed positive changes, and I'm excited to continue making progress.

Now, I turn the question back to you. What are the current tasks or projects that you find challenging to complete? Perhaps there are certain systems or strategies you've utilised in the past to tackle tasks that lacked motivation or felt overwhelming. I'm curious to learn about your experiences and the methods you've employed to overcome these hurdles.

Wishing you a productive and fulfilling week ahead!

Xio!