The workday is long and stressful enough in and of itself. However, thanks to the onset of email, instant messaging, and remote work, those workday hours don’t seem to be so structured at all anymore. In a world where everyone needs everything as fast as possible (Amazon Prime, we’re looking at you) we find ourselves working longer hours to meet the demands of a work culture that doesn’t seem to sleep. As a result, it leads to workers feeling email burnout and inability to truly ever clock out.
Feeling like you constantly have to be “on” has never felt more true as remote work has become the new normal. The lines between home and work are increasingly blurred. That can make it even harder to avoid checking your inbox during times when you really shouldn’t have to. Here’s how to decrease your email burnout while minimizing distractions.
Email Burnout Is Ruining Our Productivity
According to research from CoSo Cloud, email is the primary method of communication for remote workers, followed by instant messaging and video chat. Email, however, can be a huge distraction for remote workers, as we spend 3.2 hours of each workday checking emails. The habit can get so bad that 50 percent of millennials report that they can’t use the bathroom without checking their inbox!
It’s clear that we could all use better boundaries when it comes to email. That’s where SaneBox’s DoNotDisturb feature comes in. “No email” periods are not just for weekends or evenings anymore – rather, DoNotDisturb can set unplug time-frames for better separation of work and home life.
Here’s How DoNotDisturb Works
- Log in to your SaneBox account and click on the Do Not Disturb icon.
- Select your away options. For any of these options, pick your desired start date/time and end date/time. Note: Enabling “Allow exceptions” provides a field for a special VIP override keyword.
- Select Enable. This folder will show up in your email account at the start date.
Check out the full instructions for turning on this feature here.
How To Set Auto-Replies
You can also set an auto-reply to go along with your DoNotDisturb period to let others know you are unavailable, and when you will check email again.
Here are some examples:
Example 1
Hi there!
Thanks for your note! I’ll be OOO from [date/time] to [date/time] and will not have access to email. If this is an urgent matter, please contact [Contact Name] at [contact email].
Best,
[Name]
Example 2
Hello there,
Thank you for your note. I’m currently out of the office, returning on [date/time]. I’ll respond to your message then.
Please note that I will be completely disconnected from email and will not be checking messages until I return. So, if you need urgent assistance, please send an email to [Contact Name] at [contact email].
Best,
[Name]
Unplug And Break Email Burnout
Remember – even though you’re working from home, you still need time to unplug and do other things you actually enjoy. Automating your access to your inbox can be a gamechanger for email productivity. Setting up DoNotDisturb with a repeating setup can be tactical for setting strong boundaries for your email habits. That way, after work, you’re not tempted to open up your email app.
We know it will be hard to break the habit at first, but we promise it will be worth it. Want more information about setting up DoNotDisturb? We’d love to hear from you.
The post How To Decrease Email Burnout With DoNotDisturb appeared first on SaneBox Blog.