Let me know if I’m not alone on this… My email can be scary. The first glimpse of my inbox in the morning can totally set the tone for the day. No, not because I’m worried about scary emails from clients (unless they are trying to load 40 hours of work into a single day), but big numbers mean I have to sift through lots of junk to get to the good stuff. Just recently I found a solution for overcoming email overload, and I’d love to share it with you! (Read more)

1. sut t oncreat ivest udios.com http://suttoncreativestudios.com/overcoming-email-overload/
Kimberly Sutton May 2, 2014
Overcoming Email Overload
Let me know if I’m not alone on this… My email can be scary. The f irst glimpse of my inbox in the morning
can totally set the tone f or the day. No, not because I’m worried about scary emails f rom clients (unless they
are trying to load 40 hours of work into a single day), but big numbers mean I have to sif t through lots of junk
to get to the good stuf f . Just recently I f ound a solution f or overcoming email overload, and I’d love to share it
with you!
The secret is…
Shhh, it’s so good…
The delete key.
Yea, sorry if you were expecting something bigger and better than that,
however my delete key has worked miracles!
I must admit that I’ve seen my inbox nearing 1,700 unread emails in the past.
No, this is not the worst I have seen. One client saves EVERYTHING and
I’ve seen hers bordering 20,000. Yes, TWENTY THOUSAND unread emails.
Boxes like that call f or an intervention, don’t you think?
So, last week I realized those emails I’d been classif ying as “I’ll read
someday” were totally bogging down my inbox. I mean completely bogging
them down. Jake, one of our great virtual assistant team members, had tried to help me a couple months ago
by adding a sub-f older to my inbox called ‘Kim Take a Look”, however I’ve never touched it.
Well, that’s not the whole truth.
I added more emails to that f older. I never took a look but I added… and added… and added. You get the point.
Anyway, back to last week. I decided it was time to do something drastic.
I clicked the button to sort by sender and ended up performing a mass delete. Once and a while (like
maybe three times) I saw an email that I wanted to read, but in the matter of 10 minutes my inbox went f rom
800 unread emails to 12. Emails f rom clients were f iled in the appropriate f olders and the only items remaining
in my inbox were those I needed to address immediately.
This morning my inbox was back up to 80. I wasn’t so happy to see the big number, but a quick look and hold of
the shif t key allowed me to perf orm another mass delete. I was sad to see the Amazon deal f or a local glass-
blowing session go, but come on. Am I going to be able to schedule and do my session bef ore the end of the
weekend? NO! (Welcome to Spring sports season in Southwestern Ohio!)
How many unread emails do you have in your email inbox? What is your tactic for overcoming email
overload? We want to know! Please leave your feedback in the comments section below!
*****
Kim Sutton is a f ounding partner of Sutton Creative Studios, an agency specializing
in social media management, graphic design and virtual assistance. She is a

2. graduate of The School of the Art Institute of Chicago where she earned her
Bachelor’s Degree in Interior Architecture. In her f ree-time, Kim cherishes the time
she gets to spend with her husband, Dave (her business partner), and three children.
She also enjoys reading, knitting and writing. You are invited to f ollow Sutton
Creative Studios by f ollowing our blog, subscribing to our newsletter, or
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