Page 125 - Leveraging Up ebook by Joanne Linden 2021 ACE Peer Network

Leveraging Up!

Don’t Be a Slave to Email

Try checking email only at specific times of the day. Easy

to say, but as an Assistant, hard to do. Why? Instead of feeling that

you have to respond to emails the minute they hit your inbox, you
can save time and stay focused by setting a schedule for checking

and responding to email. Checking email only twice a day is not
practical for Assistants, however, checking once an hour is still

effective. Shut down Outlook, turn off new email notifications on your
phone, and do whatever you have to do to muffle the interruption of

email.

Depending on your position, this may not feel like an option—

especially if your Manager or colleagues rely on you for quick

responses. But you may be surprised at how supportive people will
be about your new productivity strategy when you explain it to them.

You can also set up an auto-responder with a message explaining
when you’ll be checking email again and how people can get in touch

with you if it’s important in the meantime.

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