How Poor Email Habits Kill Productivity

Stop letting poor habits kill email productivity

Before email, businesspeople delivered formal correspondence through letters, which were meticulously filed and stored. Fast-track to today and even with the rise of instant messenger applications, email still rules the roost for business communications. But it begs the questions: Do we store emails with the same care as physical assets? And is manually sorting and storing emails even realistic? 

According to a survey by Outlook’s Mail Manager, one in four respondents spend at least an hour going through their inbox each day. The research found that all this time spent on sorting emails has a negative impact on their work and emotions. 

In this article, we explore some of the negative effects of poor email management and how you can spend less time on email every day.   

You’re losing track of project information

Have you ever felt frustrated about not being about to find specific items in your inbox? You’re not alone. Mail Manager’s survey found that more than half (55%) of workers were frustrated they couldn’t find specific information in their inbox. 

And it’s no surprise. Retracing your steps or thinking of any possible subject line variation to search to bring up your important project information is a recipe for time wasted. 

Luckily, it doesn’t have to be that way. Our intelligent Smart Filters are an innovative and proven way to keep track of your project information, saving your precious time and future headaches. 

Powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI), these filters can automatically sort out your unimportant emails—shrinking your inbox down to only the important information you need. 

Let’s say you’re waiting for a signed contract from your client. You wake up to 100+ emails (most of which are irrelevant). You now have to skim through your inbox looking for that contract email. This could increase your change of missing the email because there’s so much unnecessary junk in your way. 

Our “Documents to Sign” filter will ensure the contract email is top priority in your inbox, helping you work quicker and more efficiently. 

You’re wasting time

If you’re a journalist, professional or senior business executive, your inbox is the perfect target for marketers and salespeople. Unsolicited emails can evade basic inbox spam filters and clog up your inbox. This means you’ll be constantly dealing with these unwanted emails throughout the day. Whether it’s a cold sales pitch, the newsletter you never signed up for, random webinar invitations or those never-ending follow-up emails, it’s no wonder people point to emails as a huge waste of their time. 

InMoat’s email add-on technology can seamlessly scan and filter out the noise, so you can focus on what matters. 

You’re being less productive 

Distractions don’t just waste your time—each time you’re interrupted, your productivity suffers. Even after you’ve removed a distraction, you aren’t working at the same level you were pre-distraction. 

According to a study by the University of California Irvine (PDF), it takes an average of 23 minutes and 15 seconds to fully recover from interrupted work. If emails are interrupting you constantly each day, this can wreak havoc on your productivity. 

By building a moat between you and distractions, you can say goodbye to old, outdated ways of working and boost your productivity. 

Level up your inbox productivity 

Emails aren’t going anywhere, so it’s crucial to find better ways to work smarter and get the most out of your day. Sign up for a  free trial today!

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