Taming the Inbox- Email Tips and Tricks
Season 1- Episode #6
Welcome to Tick Tock Tech! In this episode, we are focusing on the dreaded inbox and some tips and tricks for keeping the inbox organized and handling the important email.
"A survey by Adobe found people in the work place spend on average 3.1 hours per day sending and checking their emails alone, amounting to 15.5 hours per week - and a shocking 20 full weeks of the year."
They say email distraction is costing businesses extra money. But what about your personal time? How are you handling your inbox?
Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or hit Play Below.
Transcript
Auto Transcription- Please forgive errors:
a survey by Adobe found people in the workplace, spending on average, 3.1 hours per day, sending and checking their emails alone, amounting to 15.5 hours per week, and a shocking 24 weeks of the year.
00:00:22.000 --> 00:00:39.000
Welcome to the tick tock tech podcast where we talk about all things education tech and teacher happiness. Join hosts and a cliff and Cassie frost, as they share simple ideas to guide you and bring meaning to your day to day experiences.
00:00:39.000 --> 00:00:49.000
So a lot of times when we're talking about this time spent on email. You know, a lot of places they're saying that email distraction it's costing businesses money.
00:00:49.000 --> 00:01:07.000
You know it's a distraction in school. I don't want I hear that number 3.1 hours each day checking email. It sounds like a lot going on i think you know I'm, I'm awake for what is like I'm sleeping eight hours at 16 hours a day and three of those are
00:01:07.000 --> 00:01:10.000
checking email, like that's a movie and a half.
00:01:10.000 --> 00:01:20.000
And, you know, If I'm only thinking about the time that I spend my laptop it'd be a lot. But if I started adding up all of the time that I'm on my email.
00:01:20.000 --> 00:01:23.000
I hate to admit I bet my number would be a lot higher.
00:01:23.000 --> 00:01:33.000
You know I'm at my desk, my emails up when I'm away from my desk. I this is something I probably need to work on, I check my email is probably at least three to four times in our, you know now that I think about it, I need to maybe try to find a way to
00:01:33.000 --> 00:01:44.000
You know now that I think about it, I need to maybe try to find a way to hack you track that and like see if there's a way to like keep track or like notice how often I actually do it.
00:01:44.000 --> 00:01:50.000
Um, you know I know there's an app, or a way on your phone like it can tell you how many times you've picked up your phone in the day.
00:01:50.000 --> 00:02:00.000
And I'm, I'm bad with that so like I have all my notifications turned off for my email, because every time it, you know, I get an email I don't want it to make noise.
00:02:00.000 --> 00:02:11.000
But I check my email a lot, because I don't know if somebody needs something and I can help them with it right away. and I probably need to get better about that because there's really nothing that really comes through that somebody can't wait an hour
00:02:11.000 --> 00:02:12.000
for.
00:02:12.000 --> 00:02:28.000
I agree and that's so interesting that we talked about this because yeah this idea of being on your email like almost 24 seven availability right maybe you don't even respond but I don't even think I probably am accounting for the hours that I like, read
00:02:28.000 --> 00:02:43.000
an email and then mark it as unread to go back later to check it and make sure I respond to it so like, I've got I hear your Cassie I feel like I need to find a better way to, to, to get this off my plate a little bit because that number is astounding.
00:02:43.000 --> 00:02:56.000
And that's probably not even I mean I think I even read another statistic out there something that was like, we pick up our phones, about 300 times per day, looking at your phone and no joke is probably not even just email right and so this is, I mean,
00:02:56.000 --> 00:03:08.000
it's, it's, it can't be good for us right. Well, it's kind of that bad part of being so connected like I remember it used to be like if you, if you needed a response right away you call, if you could wait a little bit.
00:03:08.000 --> 00:03:21.000
You sent like a text message. And if you sent an email you were kind of expecting a reply within like three days to five days. And I feel like maybe with like the whole Virtual Learning thing, and environment maybe that's changed but I feel like there's
00:03:21.000 --> 00:03:31.000
a different expectation in the last like 234 years where it's expected that you're going to get back to someone's email, like within 20 minutes.
00:03:31.000 --> 00:03:38.000
And I feel like that's a huge change it used to be like this longer gap and maybe that's just something we need to work on.
00:03:38.000 --> 00:03:51.000
Oh, Cassie I have I have a question for you and be honest with me, like have you have you put in an away message, so now it's the holiday time right right now we're like, we have a break from school right.
00:03:51.000 --> 00:03:57.000
And we're both work in the school system, like, have you put an away message up yet that you were unavailable.
00:03:57.000 --> 00:04:10.000
I have not for this break so I'm not great at doing it because I'm always like oh I'll just check in when I'm at home, you know, but I put out of, like, I'm away when I've had like funeral leave.
00:04:10.000 --> 00:04:15.000
I've done it because I know that I'm not going to like be emotionally in the place to respond.
00:04:15.000 --> 00:04:25.000
Um, I've done it for like a vacation and actual like traveling vacation I've put it on. I'm not good at doing it, other times when I should.
00:04:25.000 --> 00:04:44.000
Yeah. So, I mean, getting into this like checking in right and this like coming up with ideas. I feel like we're studying those boundaries and those limits, especially in the times when we're not like paid to work right and so I know that I, I need to
00:04:44.000 --> 00:04:59.000
be better about checking and having like the time and energy to be doing my email right and so take me right into our first slide, like you're like leading right into like are not like solution number one like you're right I yeah I do think that's solution
00:04:59.000 --> 00:05:13.000
one right like studying limits on our email per day, which is so hard to do. But like, the more I am available I feel like the more people like also take advantage of the fact that they know they'll get a quick reply.
00:05:13.000 --> 00:05:25.000
And so, setting limits on when I'm available so specific like perfect example when I'm on off of work like not having having that away message would be huge.
00:05:25.000 --> 00:05:33.000
It's just a good healthy habit for preventing that burnout with are entertaining that inbox right we're talking about taming your inbox. We're not going to tame it.
00:05:33.000 --> 00:05:37.000
If we don't put that we're not available. Right.
00:05:37.000 --> 00:05:46.000
You know, I think that's a great point and I think that's like, I didn't think about that one a little bit I feel like, you know we could be on like challenge territory with that one.
00:05:46.000 --> 00:05:47.000
Yeah.
00:05:47.000 --> 00:06:01.000
Maybe we need to think that through a little bit for the future weeks, because I feel like we're going into this like series starting next week on self care. Yeah, I feel like we need to like think through like what like one thing, you know, could we do you know like maybe every weekend we're going to
00:06:01.000 --> 00:06:10.000
know like maybe every weekend we're going to put out of office things up, or, you know, I want to think that through I think, I think that's a good place to start.
00:06:10.000 --> 00:06:19.000
I'm challenging you How about I started it. Here we go. You, you want some accountability, you got it Cassie, Here we go.
00:06:19.000 --> 00:06:22.000
I think by next episode.
00:06:22.000 --> 00:06:29.000
I want you to have an away message up on your work email for you thinking like weekend.
00:06:29.000 --> 00:06:38.000
Know for that for this break for this one or break that you're going to be on. Okay, so we're recording this before break we'll be listening to it after so we'll have to let you guys know how this goes.
00:06:38.000 --> 00:06:46.000
Yeah. Yeah, you're gonna like your time listening to us in the future. So, the next episode.
00:06:46.000 --> 00:06:57.000
Okay. Okay. Then you have to do it also. All right, yes I'm all for it. I might be out of office. There we go. Alright, the next one is waiting, I think the next solution.
00:06:57.000 --> 00:07:07.000
I love this one is, we did a bit before sending emails to people so that like, especially with like Gmail you have that send later function.
00:07:07.000 --> 00:07:15.000
I oftentimes sometimes I'm processing things at night, and then if I send it off at night. I'm not going to always get people checking it are looking at it like I maybe would.
00:07:15.000 --> 00:07:29.000
And so, scheduling that sun for like the next morning, or just giving that time to like really think about what you're saying before you just reply, so that you're making sure it's thoughtful and you're not giving it like a nerd, G, or knee jerk reaction
00:07:29.000 --> 00:07:46.000
to something that maybe you shouldn't have. And so I think that solution to, for sure, just like giving yourself some time before you just click Send.
00:07:46.000 --> 00:07:58.000
advance to go out would really save a lot of time like when I have time, and maybe that's part of like cutting down on the email time is like making a time of day that you're dedicated right now is my email time and if you know that email needs to go
00:07:58.000 --> 00:08:11.000
out later, just write it now, but schedule it for later I like that. I want to thinking to do after this episode like I have a very organized inbox we could talk about like organizing your inbox and all those things like that is like my jam.
00:08:11.000 --> 00:08:22.000
But this one I've gotten bad about like replying all the time like this is a, this is like timely for me, I need this going into second semester, like yeah we need some self care.
00:08:22.000 --> 00:08:23.000
I'm going to be.
00:08:23.000 --> 00:08:34.000
Yeah, I'm going to be a better email person, second semester, there's my life goal. Yes, so I get to come up with a third solution right I love email templates.
00:08:34.000 --> 00:08:38.000
Like, I think those are amazing.
00:08:38.000 --> 00:08:47.000
Especially if it's something that you're going to be sending out more than once, so you know when I'm talking with people about visuals in the classroom.
00:08:47.000 --> 00:09:00.000
I always say if you had to say it three times. Make a visual. I feel like that works for this, if you've had to write a, the same or very similar email, three times, save it as a template, because the next time.
00:09:00.000 --> 00:09:10.000
All you have to do is open the template change up the things that need to be changed, you can still tweak it, and then send it out. So I use these. I do a lot with budget.
00:09:10.000 --> 00:09:20.000
I do a lot with like coordinating assistive technology so like at the end of the year getting it all back communication devices, training, things like that.
00:09:20.000 --> 00:09:32.000
And I have a template for each one. And it was just, it was simple. The first time I wrote it just before I sent it off, I hit save this template. And so the next time I wanted to send that out.
00:09:32.000 --> 00:09:45.000
I didn't need to think through, you know, what do I need to include what was, like, it's there, it's ready to go. I absolutely adore templates in my email, like, it makes life so much faster.
00:09:45.000 --> 00:10:00.000
Oh, and Cassie I think it like also keeps that consistency and messaging right as a professional in your district where you are a lead, having inconsistent messaging can be really challenging so you're keeping that consistent message.
00:10:00.000 --> 00:10:09.000
And so it's easy to forget things like for sure I know you've got new staff, you know they forgot, or they don't know about certain parts maybe of the budget process.
00:10:09.000 --> 00:10:16.000
So like I sit down and it would take me like two hours to remember everything that I need to include in this email.
00:10:16.000 --> 00:10:30.000
And now I know it's already there. So like so much time saving I think about this in the classroom, like letters to parents, missing assignments, upcoming projects, you know, coming up to Christmas break What do you need to know locker clean out days
00:10:30.000 --> 00:10:44.000
like these are all things we should have templates for, like, holy cow, we need templates. Sorry. Gosh, we actually have a few other like little itty bitty ones I feel like we need to move those to another episode because like email is such a big topic
00:10:44.000 --> 00:10:53.000
so I don't want to overwhelm I've already got like two or three things I need to do with email so like I yeah so we are in this bowl here.
00:10:53.000 --> 00:11:07.000
We've got accountability and what the solution so solution one just really like don't check your email unless you have to solution to wait before sending emails out maybe even schedule sons so if you can think about it later.
00:11:07.000 --> 00:11:20.000
And solution through you some email templates to for like those common emails and those emails where you want consistent messaging, you know, and when we're talking about some of these things I'm thinking in the future here at some point we might want
00:11:20.000 --> 00:11:28.000
to even like make a couple like quick how to videos I do some of these two for like people who don't know how to do the templates.
00:11:28.000 --> 00:11:35.000
Otherwise if you're listening and we haven't gotten on next, we probably won't because it's going to be our third quarter two and crazy.
00:11:35.000 --> 00:11:44.000
You know, you can always search that too. There's tons of videos out there and directions on how to do these things are connected us directly. Well, well, I'll chat with you What do you see my email is great.
00:11:44.000 --> 00:12:00.000
My email is great. So, um, as you guys know if you've listened to us before we like kind of wrapping up with this. We like calling and brighten my day challenge but each week we kind of challenge each other to just bring something happy and surprising.
00:12:00.000 --> 00:12:09.000
And if you listen to last episode, I was teasing Ana because she, we have a note page where we kind of keep ideas about like our upcoming podcasts.
00:12:09.000 --> 00:12:17.000
And because we share it we can see what the other one wrote and this one we try to keep a little more secret so that I don't know just kind of for fun.
00:12:17.000 --> 00:12:24.000
And I was teasing him last episode because she had like written it as a comment and said like this a secret don't read on it.
00:12:24.000 --> 00:12:29.000
And so I decided this was my way of doing this, how do you like this. Can you see it.
00:12:29.000 --> 00:12:40.000
No you use some extension didn't know I didn't, I wrote it in here so we use Google sheets for this. So I wrote it in there and then I was thinking like, how can I hide it from her.
00:12:40.000 --> 00:12:48.000
So I made it font size point one. So, see it there, it's just like super tiny.
00:12:48.000 --> 00:12:57.000
I'm gonna change the color, but on some programs it's black with a white background and sometimes it's the opposite so I was gonna like make it white to blend in.
00:12:57.000 --> 00:12:58.000
And I just made it.
00:12:58.000 --> 00:13:12.000
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay, so here's mine is we are going to be starting starting to talk about self care and we're talking about like last episode of overwhelm with cell phones this time overwhelm with email.
00:13:12.000 --> 00:13:23.000
Um, I decided I wanted to throw out a app that I really really love and I don't know if you've ever heard of it, but I absolutely adore this one so this app is called daily decision.
00:13:23.000 --> 00:13:34.000
Well, this one's specific for Apple. However, there are other ones, but like this is my like get through.
00:13:34.000 --> 00:13:42.000
You know when there's so much to do and this time of year there's always so much to do. So do you use any apps like this. No, I really want to know about this one.
00:13:42.000 --> 00:13:48.000
So, this one is simply it's a little app. If you've ever watched like Wheel of Fortune, it kind of looks like the Wheel of Fortune wheel.
00:13:48.000 --> 00:13:54.000
And it's an app that allows you to create a list of things that you need to do.
00:13:54.000 --> 00:14:01.000
And then it puts it on a wheel, and you spin it, and whatever it falls on is your decision.
00:14:01.000 --> 00:14:10.000
So they have ones like for What movie do you want to watch yes or no things like that. For myself, I like putting everything that I need to get done on it.
00:14:10.000 --> 00:14:18.000
And then I sneak in some like fun things like take a walk, play with a dog, have a snack, you know, fun things in there too.
00:14:18.000 --> 00:14:23.000
And then I spin the wheel and whatever it lands on, I get done. And then I spin again.
00:14:23.000 --> 00:14:36.000
And it actually blacks out the sections like as you get them finished, they go away, or they darkened so you can see at the end of the day how much of your we'll have you filled in, and especially if you put some fun things on there like it's fun to keep
00:14:36.000 --> 00:14:51.000
like get your thing done because you can spin again, and you might like get to go like have a snack met like get to read a chapter favorite book, which is great for self care because it breaks up, like the work monotony by going and doing something fun
00:14:51.000 --> 00:15:06.000
and it gives you permission to take a break and do something else in mind blowing. Is this free Cassie or free. This is free iphone right now I'm going to download a like I think you can only do so many wheels for free, it might be like $1 or $1 99 if
00:15:06.000 --> 00:15:09.000
you want to have like unlimited wheels.
00:15:09.000 --> 00:15:25.000
I'm not sure. I'm sure I probably this is one, if it, if it did have that I probably paid for a lot of wheels, like I have one for my weekends. I have one like for certain work days, and it's great, and I try to break everything up fairly small, so like
00:15:25.000 --> 00:15:36.000
that each thing I would hit is only going to take me like 15 minutes. So if I had to do like a training I'll do like create the videos for the training and create the outline and make those separate so that it keeps me going.
00:15:36.000 --> 00:15:38.000
And you don't get stuck.
00:15:38.000 --> 00:15:46.000
But I'll do it cleaning the house on the weekend, like I'll write down everything that needs to get done and I just spend and go do it. And you can go to the next thing till you get it done.
00:15:46.000 --> 00:15:50.000
So does this work on iPad two because I'm just thinking about chores for my kids.
00:15:50.000 --> 00:16:00.000
It works on iPads, and if you don't have daily decision wheel you can also just like search decision wheels and there's like web based ones there are options.
00:16:00.000 --> 00:16:30.000
Um, but this is like my savior when I'm feeling stuck and I have so much to do and it's just hard to get going. This is my thing. So that is my woohoo for the end of the day, I love it