Thinking Outside the Inbox: Email Tips

Email drives business; yet, it also drives most of us crazy. If this is the year you want to take control of your email, here are some steps you can take:

• Consider using a non-email program for in-office communications, like Slack.  This will mean that your inbox can become ‘mission-critical’, where you receive only messages from clients and colleagues, while your staff and associate messages filter to another media.  Slack is free.
• Use ‘rules’ to push less important email out of sight.  Set up email rules that will filter advertisements to a subfolder, that you can look at when you’re ready, so that those message don’t invade your inbox.  Gmail, for example, has a built-in ‘Promotions’ inbox.  You can also utilize your junk email filter to better manage unwanted messages.
• Use a law practice management software, that will integrate with your productivity software, to archive your emails.  That way. you won’t have to save everything in a bursting inbox — or strain your PST file, if you’re still using premise-based software.
• Try an email management add-on, like Sanebox, which offers more features for organization than come out of the box in standard email clients.
• Think about applying an email management system, like GTD, so you can make quick decisions in your inbox, keep it uncluttered and turn response management into a task list.

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If your organization methods are only adding to the clutter, we can help.

The Wyoming State Bar offers free law practice management consulting services through Red Cave Law Firm Consulting.

To request a consult, visit the Wyoming State Bar’s law practice management page, and start running your law firm like a business.

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