Why Processing Email is Shockingly Valuable

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Welcome back from that much needed vacation! Welp, time to cruise on in to your office, take a seat at your desk, open up the ole’ laptop, and…SWEET SAMPSON’S GHOST! That’s one unwieldy email inbox!

Sure, processing an overloaded inbox is a pain in the neck. Believe it or not: dedicating time to focus on processing email might be your most valuable allocation of time and money.

So, before you tackle (or ignore) that 2,000+ email queue, start your day with this short slice. It may be the added jolt for getting you out of that inbox and back in the swing of things.

Click to tweet this: We all have to process our email inbox. A pinch of “focus pocus” leverages that time beautifully. @DaveCrenshaw

Video transcript:

Processing email or bringing your inbox to zero is a corner stone of my time management training program. And, occasionally, people struggle with it.

I have one client who said he felt like he was wasting time just going through email. I helped him realize that processing his email is worth about a thousand dollars per hour. Why is that true?

First of all, keep in mind everybody processes. We all have to go through our email inbox. But most people are spending about ten to fifteen hours a week doing it.

Second, when people do it the way I tell them to, they do it on a schedule. They actually spend about five hours a week, which means they’re spending less time on their email. They are just doing it in a focused way, which leads to number three:

That focus leverages their time. When they do it properly and stay on top of it, that one hour of processing is usually worth ten hours in the future.

So, I’d like to ask you: how many hours a week do you believe you’re spending processing email? Share that in the comments below.

Also, if you have a question you’d like me to answer in a future video, ask that below as well.

Thanks for watching. Now leverage your time.

Join the conversation: How many hours a week do you believe you’re spending processing email?

I respond to every question and comment. So, please, join the conversation!


Does it feel like you keep running into brick walls? Work ethic only gets you so far. Dave’s newest book guides you in finding a teammate who builds on your strengths and keeps you growing. Click here to download your free copy of The Result: A Practical, Proven Formula for Getting What You Want.
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