Outlook is a necessary evil! Email is the most ubiquitous form of communication at workplace. Unfortunately, it has also become one of the biggest killers of productivity. According to Forbes, an average employee spends 23% of their workday checking emails, checking their email 36 times an hour! I have been prey to the email mania as well, until one day I realized it is completely taking over my workday. I was using email as a running to-do list, basically jumping onto whatever task came to my attention next through the inbox.
I have since then taken steps to reduce the time I spend superficially looking at my inbox several times a day. At times my team gets an immediate reply from me, which means I am regressing to the old, unproductive email habits. Therefore, writing this post is also an accountability check for me.
Don’t let Outlook control you! Here are some ways you can master your interactions with your email provider, ultimately making your day more productive: