Keep the dishes clean with these helpful tips
This article helps readers understand the benefits of good personal inbox hygiene, as well as actionable steps to help them stay on top of incoming messages. This helps reveal system-level causes of message overload, but we do not explore the practices and procedures to stop those leaks at the source in this article.
Properly managed communication channels help employees avoid stress and burnout while staying productive during focus times. Employees, both remote and in-person, may be faced with a barrage of messages that, if left without a filter, make it almost impossible to focus for any extended period of time.
Mitigate Message Distractions
Messages are a big slice of the communication pie. Teams working across the world, across the city, or across the room message back and forth in direct messages, channels, and across various mediums. Messaging is awesome. It helps everyone stay on track and abreast of developments on pertinent projects. The problem arises as volume increases. Groups with two co-workers, three co-workers, your whole team, and certain employees from other teams. External groups, internal groups…the list goes on and on.
Almost everyone’s been added to a message channel where they aren’t needed. These channels are good places to start. Something as simple as turning off notifications from channels where you don’t need a ping every time a message is sent. Many message services offer a middle ground where you get notified when someone mentions you by name but silences other messages.
There are messages you want to read the moment you get them. Messages from your boss or team on current projects might change your daily plan, and they should be few and far between. There are also messages you don’t need to reply to right away. Depending on your profession, these can come in all shapes and sizes.
Set Aside Time for Messages
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by your current message flow, we recommend blocking off parts of your day where you focus one hundred percent on replying to messages, emails, and other correspondence. You can peruse channels you’ve silenced and catch up on what’s happening. It's a nice way to stay in the know while lessening total daily notifications. If someone needs your assistance, they can reach you directly.
No size fits all, here! A deeper dive into your team and company’s messaging habits will give you the info you need to figure out whether you are okay responding to messages as they arrive during the day, or if you can increase your focus by going through all your unread messages with less frequency. This could be every hour, every day, or even every week!
A constant flow of messages is one common source of frustration at work. Spending a little time auditing problems at work can output tremendous value, and there are implementable solutions for the symptoms as well as the cause of these frustrations. Silencing or deprioritizing a few channels will help you, but you can also dive deeper into why so many messages fly around.
Need Some Help?
We’ve got you! Small, incremental changes let you see results with a much clearer eye, often resulting in less ruffled feathers along the way. If you ever want to chat with people who know a few things about improving your work satisfaction, drop us a line! We are always happy to hear from you.
