Institute for Organization Management - A Program of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce

  • About
    • General Information
      • Institute Policies and Procedures
      • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statement
    • Recruitment Toolkit
    • Prospective Student Toolkit
    • Media
    • Answers to Your Frequently Asked Questions
    • Contact Us
  • Curriculum
    • Core Curriculum
    • Elective Curriculum
    • Webinars & Resource Center
  • Sites & Dates
    • Winter Institute
    • Midwest Institute
    • Southeast Institute
    • Northeast Institute
    • 2023 Institute Schedule
  • Registration
    • Register Now!
    • Deadlines and Fees
    • Scholarships
      • Enrollment Incentives
      • State Partner Scholarship
  • Who’s Who
    • Staff
    • Volunteers
    • Faculty
    • Sponsors
    • Alumni
      • IOM Alumni Database
  • Blog
A PROGRAM OF THE U.S. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE FOUNDATION
 

IOM Blog

April 25, 2018

The Discipline of Managing Your Inbox

Mail used to arrive at home or the office. Time was spent to organize, review and distribute. Items that were junk were quickly thrown away while items that needed immediate attention were handled, and we would move on to the next task. These simple procedures allowed the majority of people to no have a pile of mail sitting in front of them, but when it comes to email (electronic mail) we simply ignore these steps and allow it to overwhelm us.

Email is a necessary part of the business and personal world these days but shouldn’t be considered an evil if managed correctly and treated like you would mail. Here are few tips to help manage the flow:

  • Pick A Time – After speaking with people considered great with email management, they all choose a certain time each day to clean up their inbox. This is typically done in the morning (like reading the paper) and allows them to focus and manage the normal flow throughout the day.
  • Manage Expectations – Replying to messages after hours sets an expectation that you are going to reply every time at those hours. You can still send those thoughts and tasks in the middle of the night and schedule them to be delivered in the morning. This allows you to clear your thoughts while not creating a standard of late night communication.
  • Personal and Work – Your magazines subscriptions arrive at your home not your work. Utilize your work email for work items and your personal for personal emails. This clear separation allows you to focus on work while at work and not integrate the two.
  • Unsubscribe – Would you still subscribe to a magazine that you haven’t read in months? Do you save weeks of sale flyers that are mailed to your house? If you answered yes, then this tip isn’t for you. Unsubscribing is one of the quickest way to manage the flow of emails to your inbox. A rule of thumb is if you haven’t opened the newsletter over the last five emails or purchased something from a store in six months, it is time to unsubscribe.
  • Start Over – Everyone has that special personal email address that they have had for years, but if the inbox is full and unmanageable it is probably time to create a new email address. Remove the old inbox from your phone and create a new one. You can always go back to the old inbox for addresses or certain information, but you will quickly notice that the history there won’t be missed.

The above tips are a good start to improving email habits. As with any new task, it takes time and discipline, but the end result will be a managed communication tool.

Avatar photo
Jim Johnson, IOM, CCE
President and CEO
Georgetown Chamber of Commerce

Jim Johnson has worked in the Chamber industry for other eleven years and is currently the President/ CEO of the Pearland Chamber of Commerce. In his role, he oversees the daily operations, strategic planning, and partnerships with multiple community organizations for the organization.

Johnson came from Georgetown, TX where he was President and CEO of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce. Prior to Georgetown, he was the President and CEO for the Lufkin/Angelina County Chamber of Commerce, and the Lufkin/Angelina Economic Development Partnership. He started his chamber career as the Vice President with the Pearland Chamber.

He currently serves as faculty for the US Chamber of Commerce’s Institute for Organizational Management program and on the board of directors for the Western Association of Chamber Executives, and as Chair-Elect for the Texas Chamber of Commerce Executives.

He holds a B.A. in History and a minor in Political Science from Texas State University. Jim has received his CCE (Certified Chamber Executive) from the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives and the IOM (Institute for Organization Management) recognition from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation. He was recognized as 40 under 40 in 2021 from the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives. Johnson is married to his wife Jasmine, and they have one son.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
DONATE NOW!
UPDATE CONTACT INFO
Sign-up for Emails
Approved Provider

About

  • General Information
  • Contact Us
  • Curriculum
  • Prospective Student Toolkit

Sites & Dates

  • Winter Institute
  • Midwest Institute
  • Southeast Institute
  • Northeast Institute

Resources

  • Scholarships
  • Faculty
  • Sponsors
  • Update Contact Info
  • Volunteers

Follow IOM

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
IOM Blog

Institute for Organization Management - A program of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce © 2023 | Privacy Policy