Tips to refine your daily workflow
Hi gang! Happy Monday. On topic with our theme of the month: work smarter, not harder, today we’re exploring tools and practices that encourage focus, nurture efficiency and allow us to leave our work at work while feeling accomplished and not totally drained.
Especially in the summer months, when we may have more going on outside of work, it’s nice to take a look at our current ways of working, like how we manage our tasks, how many information and communication streams we have, or which habits keep us from focusing.
I’m angling this edition in the most honest way I can. This is equal parts knowing these tools work because I successfully use them, AND needing to hear this advice myself, as I’m in my own busy-season spiral of time management wins and… learnings. We’re in this together.
Listed below are a few actions or structures to try out to help refine your daily workflow. These are more habit-based, but if you’re itching to know what tools and platforms we have our eyes on when it comes to streamlining your work, Rachel’s got you in next Monday’s edition!
At the end of the day, these tips won’t magically make you have less work, but they will help you move through your work faster, confidently, and with a whole lot more clarity. Which can make you feel less dragged by your work!
Let’s close a few mental tabs, shall we?
1. Select specific times during the day to tackle emails
Instead of constantly having your email tab open in your browser and darting over to it whenever you hear that universal “ping”, try structuring your day with several blocks of time for email-only focus. When it’s not email focus time - close your email tab!
The time you spend will vary based on how much is happening in your inbox, but here’s a general framework I’m trying this week on a 9 am - 5 pm working day:
9-9:45: check new emails and respond to as many as I can, start new threads for upcoming projects/ideas
9:45-10: action on any emails I need more information on before I can respond
12:30-1: second email check - respond to what I can and close loops on open threads
3:30 - 4:15: last email check right before the day closes - I’m leaving a small block of time before the day’s end, in case anything pops up that I need to produce or finish up, based on my emails
I was first introduced to this concept years ago at one of my former companies. The lead merchandising designer explained that doing this allowed him the time he needed to really settle into a creative focus with his daily projects without the anxiety that his always-alive email was looming over him.
Urgent work stuff is bound to come up. Slack, Microsoft Teams, or whatever other chat tool your company uses is for those more time-sensitive pings. Usually, emails can stand to wait at least a few hours for a response. I like to remind myself that if someone really needs to get my attention for something time-pressing, they will, even if I’m not on my emails like a hawk.
