If you run a small business in the UK, chances are your inbox looks a bit like the aftermath of a toddler’s birthday party: chaos everywhere, the faint smell of panic, and the lurking suspicion you’ve forgotten something important.
Emails about invoices, marketing, networking invites, newsletters you swear you didn’t sign up for… it never ends. One minute you’re replying to a supplier, the next you’re down a rabbit hole reading about “10 Ways to Optimise Your CRM” at 2am. Help.
Here’s a quick survival guide, lovingly compiled by someone who’s definitely never hidden from their inbox under the desk. (Promise.)
Let’s be honest: Inbox Zero is the business version of “I’ll start running in the mornings.”
We all mean well. But it’s okay to admit that some emails just don’t need your urgent attention (or, let’s be real, any attention).
Imagine your inbox is a swanky nightclub. Not every email gets past the velvet rope.
VIPs (Very Important Projects): Immediate attention.
General guests (clients, suppliers): Within 24-48 hours.
Random weirdos (spam, “opportunities” from people who “found you on LinkedIn”): Straight in the bin.
Permission to be ruthless: granted.
If you’re typing “Thanks for your email, I’ll get back to you shortly” for the 127th time today, it’s time to embrace templates.
Draft a few ready-to-go responses for the stuff you say all the time. It’s like future-you sending you a hug… or at least buying you five minutes to actually eat your sandwich before it wilts.
Constantly checking your emails is basically the digital equivalent of poking yourself in the eye repeatedly.
Set specific times to check and respond, maybe once mid-morning, once after lunch. The world will keep spinning if you don’t reply within 3.7 minutes.
(And if it doesn’t? Honestly, that’s someone else’s problem.)
You do not need 17 newsletters about SEO trends.
You do not need hourly sales updates from that software you trialled in 2018.
Be brutal (it’s for your own good).
Sometimes an old-fashioned phone call can solve what would otherwise be a ten-email-long saga titled:
“Re: Re: Re: Re: Just checking in again”.
If it’s getting messy, just ring them. You’ll both secretly be relieved.
You’re a business owner, a go-getter, a dreamer, not a full-time email replierer.
Taking control of your inbox isn’t about being perfect. It’s about not letting email run your life (or steal your weekends).
Now go forth, unsubscribe heroically, prioritise like a boss, and maybe, just maybe, reclaim a bit of your sanity.
P.S. If all else fails, there’s always the option of faking a “technical glitch” and starting fresh. (Not that I would officially recommend that.).
If you’ve had enough of dealing with and being distracted by your emails, I would recommend using a Virtual Assistant (like me). Contact me below to arrange a chat.
