Connect Fall 2018 | Page 22

E AT | P L AY | L E A R N EMAIL EXPLOSION Beat the Inbox Woes Understand why your triple-digit unread email list can be so stressful... and how to deal with it. HAVE YOU EVER opened your email only to be floored task or time away from the office. Rather than noticing by the number of unread emails that have piled up since every time another email comes in, go ahead and turn you last sat at your desk? Every email in your inbox off your phone and computer notifications and rely on represents another demand on your time, so discovering your regular email checks throughout the day to see if you’ve got a double- or triple-digit number of emails to anything urgent has come up. This will also help keep deal with can throw off your productivity for your entire your stress levels low—by staying in control of when you work day. Here’s what you can do to tame the inbox beast. choose to look at your email, you can help prevent panic SET BOUNDARIES. Set yourself (and your subordi- nates) up for success by avoiding sending or responding from creeping up as the notifications roll in. ACTIVELY ENGAGE. It’s easy to scroll through emails, to email outside of your working hours. Even if you write file your tasks or thoughts away in your brain, and tell an email after hours, use the “delay send” function to also yourself that you’ll deal with it later. Instead, try using send the message that you respect others’ working hours your established email time to appropriately file, respond (and expect yours to be respected as well). to, and delete emails. This will help you stay on top of tasks and reduce any sense of overload. LIMIT YOURSELF. Rather than just setting bound- aries for your work hours, take it one step further and Sometimes, an unmanageable amount of emails is indicative of an unmanageable amount of work. Many schedule regular times to check your email throughout professionals feel the need to respond “Yes” to each and the day. Numerous studies show that limiting your email every opportunity, but keep in mind that every “Yes” time improves concentration and workflow, as well as leads to piles of reminders, meeting requests, and more reducing stress. in your email inbox. Prioritizing your opportunities and responsibilities and learning to say “No” when appro- NOTIFY NO MORE. Don’t let notifications and alerts on priate will only benefit your number of unread emails your computer or phone distract you from an important and stress levels. Let Sterling National Bank help you get back to basics and streamline your banking. To learn more, contact your Relationship Manager or Client Services at (855) 876-8940. 22 SNB.COM // CONNECT INNOVATION FALL 2018 // RANKED ONE OF FORBES' BEST BANKS OF 2018