I was inspired for this blog post when talking to a friend of mine the other day.  She is starting a bookkeeping business and will be working from home.  She made a point of saying how she will have to start managing her mornings better; she has found herself having to take a computer break around 10 or 11 to have a shower and get dressed. (Yes, office folks, that is something we work at home people can do – work in pajamas or sweats if we choose)

What my friend has found happening is  she is getting lost in emails and work before she has even gotten ready to start her day.  She wakes up before the kids and hubby and goes to check her emails.  She starts acting on some of the emails and soon has to rush to get the kids off to school and then sits back down at the computer to finish what she started. When she finally looks up it is mid morning and she now needs to get showered and dressed. She also made the comment – “and it seems like I have been working all morning yet nothing was getting done”.

She’s falling into the email trap and it is so easy to do.

Time Management experts will tell you to plan out your day and schedule in time for checking emails. Your inbox can be the biggest time-suck in any workday – whether at home or in an office setting.  The best piece of advice they recommend is to NOT check your emails first thing in the morning but to attend to tasks that need completion first. Accomplish and finish one or two main tasks and then check your emails.  The best process I have seen so far is:

First, have a to-do list or schedule set for the day.  Take the time to write it out the night before – or once for the entire week with adjustments during the day and things change – then have a revolving system that goes as follows:

1. Tackle one or two main tasks first thing.  Get them done!
2. Then make time to check emails. Process the emails as recommended in another blog post here – DANG my Inbox Looks Great! * VIP!!! remember that you do not have to followup on each email immediately.
3. Move onto the next items in your daily schedule and later go back to check your inbox again.

Ideally you should be able to check your emails 3-4 times per day, depending upon your type of business and how work is assigned/processed.  The main point is to have a plan around your daily tasks, larger projects and your inbox.  Letting them all run wild will result in you thinking statements as my friend did and you will find yourself being less productive, getting more and more disorganized and wasting time.

What tips do you have for keeping the inbox monster at bay??  Please share them here.

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