Delegation. It's something that everyone wants to embrace. Here is a great get tip to get started.
You don't need to handle your own emails. Get someone else to screen them and then speak with you once a day (via telephone, Skype, or face-to-face if they work in your office) about the emails that are important.
Here is what will happen:
- you will stop spending way too much time on this low value task
- anything that you need to respond to personally will be identified
- you will be told about emails that don’t require a response, so you won't have to spend time reading everything.
- your 'email screener' will very quickly work out what’s important and what’s not; if they are unsure they should ask.
Who could be your email screener? Don’t just flick this task on to some poor soul that works for you. Identify who has the skills to really own this job.
In one firm I worked with they decided that no one on the paraplanning or admin team should do this job (because they are great paraplanners and administrators and already busy). So they rent a virtual assistant by the hour who performs the task remotely. Brilliant.
If you do have a PA internally who can do it, then great.
But please, let go of the email.