I know I’m not alone when I say I could spend all day just going through my inbox, answering emails and clearing out the clutter. With the bulk of professional inquiries and projects being sent via email, business owners risk losing a great deal of business to an unruly inbox that also doubles as a black hole. In order to ensure I stay on top of all incoming communications and make the best use of my time, I’ve devised a few helpful practices that have made all the difference. Because really, who has time for an out-of-control inbox?

Simplify

If left unattended, your inbox will go nuts. We all know what it’s like to go out of town for a few days and return to dozens of inquiries, emails from clients, invoices – and we haven’t even touched on all the promotional emails we receive yet! First off, go through your inbox and unsubscribe from all the promotional emails you never read. It’s amazing the sheer number of email lists we are added to once we make an online purchase or enter our email address at a retail location! And how many times do we think we’ll take advantage of that 30% coupon only to let it completely slip our minds? Do yourself a favor and weed out the emails that you really won’t read. Don’t have time to weed through all those automated emails? Services like Unroll Me will do it for you! You’ll be amazed at how unsubscribing from email chains can instantly clear the clutter from your inbox.

Schedule

I recently came across a word of advice that has totally revolutionized the way I approach my inbox. Unfortunately, I can’t remember where I read this or who originally said it, so feel free to sound off in the comments below if you know! This concept encourages people to view their inbox almost like a tasty treat. Instead of leaving your inbox open all day long, feasting on it as the emails filter in, choose to snack on it. Allot yourself little email breaks during the day where you open up your inbox and respond to any new emails or messages that weren’t answered earlier. This time management method not only enables you to work more efficiently as you go through your emails at set times of the day, but it also gives you a chance to spend the majority of your time doing other important tasks like designing, managing administrative duties or working directly with clients. This way of thinking has kept me from losing many an afternoon to my ever-growing inbox!

Archive

You wouldn’t know it judging by the current state of my office, but I’m a sucker for organization! I love taking something cluttered and turning into something that’s neat, orderly and easy-to-navigate. This same philosophy has done wonders from my inbox! If you don’t already, try archiving all the emails in your inbox. I have a folder for emails that I haven’t read yet, another for messages that require prompt attention and then miscellaneous folders for receipts, print shop business, branding clients and coaching clients. Overkill? Probably. But it keeps everything tidy and enables me to find things in a snap.

Delete

Don’t be afraid of your delete button! Remember that client inquiry you got months ago that never led to anything? Yeah, you don’t need that still floating around your inbox. Go through your messages and see what you can’t clear out. Old confirmation emails, tracking info for orders you’ve received and such probably aren’t going to come in handy later down the line.

Disable

In order to really stay on track with the email “snacking” mentality, I disable notifications on my phone and computer for inboxing messages. Although I’m grateful I can access my emails on the go, I don’t need my phone dinging or buzzing every time J.Crew notifies me of a new flash sale. As a general rule of thumb, disabling notifications for emails and social apps will help minimize the distractions and keep you on track during your work day!

So, let’s hear it! Do you do your best to tame the inbox beast or do you let it run wild? Sound off in the comments below!