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Aug 23, 2016
3 Ways for women in the workplace to manage their email like a boss
Category end the #EmailTimeSuck | 0 comments
August 26 is designated as Women's Equality Day. It commemorates the granting of voting rights to women in the United States. But it was not a right that came easily. Though the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution (which prohibits any US citizen from being denied the right to vote on the basis of sex) was introduced in 1878, it was ratified only on August 26, 1920, when millions of American women voted for the first time – a landmark moment in the Women's Equality Movement in America. Today, women work on an equal footing with men at the workplace. They juggle personal and professional lives, work hard to strike a balance between the two and constantly strive to be perceived as equals by their male counterparts. If you are one of these amazing women, here are a few tips on how you can manage your email effortlessly without compromising your work-life balance.
1. Set up clear boundaries
According to recent research, email takes up 28% of your work day. If that is not alarming enough, thanks to smartphones, you no longer get to leave email behind at work. Notifications arrive in the middle of your evening jog or at the dinner table or even when you're reading a bedtime story to your kids. You're probably resigned to all this by now, but being a high-powered executive doesn't necessarily mean you don't get to have a life. Begin by setting boundaries for your email. Set up auto-responders that will reply to emails sent to you after 8:00 pm (or earlier) advising the sender that you will be able to respond only after business hours begin the next morning and to please call or send you a text instead, if the matter is urgent. This way, you will probably receive lesser email late at night and also stay in the loop if something urgent comes up. We suggest you do the same while on a weekend getaway or on vacation.
2. Use shortcuts and handy tips
Who is the expert that your husband and kids seek out when they want ink stains gone, ruined makeup fixed and damage control on messes made? You of course. You have all the handy household tips on how to sort these issues out in a flash. A pity then if you can't do the same thing with your email. Practice using shortcuts and hacks that will help you significantly reduce the time you spend with your email while staying effective and on top of things. Here is a list of handy tips for Gmail and a list of tricks that will help you work faster in Outlook, to get you started.
3. Beware of "Inbox Zero"
We have all heard much about achieving zen in the mailbox via the "Inbox Zero" philosophy. As a woman who also cares for a household, keeping stuff tidy by getting rid of everything you don't need seems like the sensible thing to do. But here's a word of caution: attempting to bring order to your mailbox by deleting emails you are finished with, or filing away them neatly away in folders can actually be more stressful than dealing with a full mailbox. The stress arises not just from the frustration of being unable to achieve an empty inbox every day, but also from the frustration of being unable to find stuff that you've already deleted or carefully put away. Ditch all the drama (you have enough of that at home, we're sure) by simply getting yourself a good plug-in like FewClix that can locate any email, attachment, meeting or contact that you want, in seconds. With that resolved, there is really no good reason to waste time spring-cleaning your mailbox every day, is there?
Click here to get the FREE FewClix Personal Edition and stay in control of your mailbox and your time!
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