Mastering Email Management: How To Achieve Supreme Productivity With Inbox Shadowing

Like most, you've probably resigned yourself to the daily ritual of constantly sifting through emails, messages, and notifications.?

It's an unavoidable part of modern work life, right??

But have you ever stopped to consider just how much time and productivity you lose in the process?

According to a study by Adobe, the average professional spends approximately 4.1 hours each day managing their inbox.?

That’s over 1,000 hours a year! A staggering amount of time that could be far better utilized elsewhere.

To help you make amends with your time (and your mental load), we’re shattering the myth that email management is an unavoidable part of doing business.?

To do this, we’ll introduce you to a transformative email management concept to overcome it with ease: Inbox Shadowing.?

We’ll explore what Inbox Shadowing is, how it works in three simple steps, and the key to successfully leveraging this highly efficient email management workflow. Let’s dive in!????

What Is Inbox Shadowing??

What if there were a way to significantly reduce the time spent on email management, all while maintaining control and authenticity in your communications? Enter Inbox Shadowing.

Inbox Shadowing is a revolutionary email management concept that empowers a trusted Executive Assistant (EA) (or rockstar Engagement Manager) to manage your inbox on your behalf.?

They become your digital “shadower,” making informed decisions based on your preferences, context, and permissions.

A proficient inbox shadower performs 3 key functions:

1. Draft Responses: They handle emails they can address without your direct involvement. For instance, scheduling meetings or offering available time slots.

2. Label “Pls Handle” Emails: They identify emails that require your attention or decision-making and label them as “Pls Handle.”

3. Label “FYI” Emails: They recognize emails that are informative but don’t need an immediate response, marking them as “FYI.”

Your New Email Workflow in 3 Steps?

By leveraging Inbox Shadowing, you will now have a simple process for efficient email management.?

(So you can forget your current time-consuming “last in, first out” approach altogether!)

Here are the 3 steps to your newly-optimized email management workflow:

1. Review and send drafts created by your Inbox Shadower.
2. Review and process all emails marked “Pls Handle.”
3. Once a day, skim through all emails marked as “FYI.”

At Mindmaven , we’ve discovered that 60-70% of emails don’t require your full attention or decision-making.?

With this process in place, it eliminates the drain your inbox currently has on your resources.?

Rather than reactively reviewing and replying to every email as it comes in, you can now regain that lost time and reinvest it into high-impact tasks that move the needle.?

Can an Executive Assistant Send My Emails for Me??

Our answer to that question is no. While it may seem a tempting Inbox Shadowing shortcut to have your trusted Executive Assistant send your emails rather than leaving them in your drafts, we encourage you to stick to the simple steps listed above.?

The reason for this is we believe being genuine is key to successful relationship management. So, to remain authentic, you need to be the one to actually send the email.?

This way, you can review and even edit the emails to your liking, knowing exactly what has been discussed. Plus, it saves you from any awkward encounters where you have no recollection of your recent conversation.?

The great news is even by sending the emails yourself, this one strategy helps contribute to freeing up 12+ hours a week.?

Benefits of Leveraging Inbox Shadowing?

Having worked with hundreds of leaders for the past 15+ years, we can attest to the substantial benefits of Inbox Shadowing.?

Here are 5 compelling advantages of Inbox Shadowing:

1. Time Savings: Reduce email management time by up to 80% and massively contribute to freeing up to 12+ hours every week.

2. Stress Reduction: Free your mind from urgency-driven anxiety and reactive distractions, significantly easing your mental load.?

3. Improved Focus: Prioritize high-impact tasks and maintain focus on what truly matters.

4. Supercharged Productivity: Accelerate your decision-making and action by increasing the efficiency of your communications.

5. Deeper Relationships: Enhance your communication quality, developing more meaningful connections with your team and wider network.

Key To Successful Email Management and Inbox Shadowing?

While Inbox Shadowing offers substantial benefits, its success relies on selecting the right assistant.?

Let’s be clear: Not all assistants are equipped to take ownership of your email management.?

Ultimately, what makes or breaks this email management strategy is your ability to communicate, collaborate, and calibrate together.

That’s why here at Mindmaven, we change the way you work with your Executive Assistant and empower them to become Engagement Managers.?

An Engagement Manager (EM) is a hybrid of an Executive Assistant and a Chief of Staff who is specially trained to provide you with greater leverage on your time, relationships, and resources.

Inbox Shadowing is just one of the unique, high-value skills Engagement Managers are trained in. Providing massive lift to you and helping you free up 12+ hours a week.?

Unlock Your Productivity Potential?

Are you spending over an hour daily managing your inbox? If so, Inbox Shadowing is a game-changing solution worth serious consideration.

By working with an Executive Assistant, you can delegate the vast majority of your email management. Significantly reducing your workload, freeing up massive hours, and ultimately achieving far greater productivity.

The choice is yours: continue wrestling with your inbox or take proactive steps to master it and free up your valuable time for more meaningful tasks.

We’re advocates for taking the latter path, but if you’re new to this level of leverage, we recommend you get your free Radical Delegation Checklist Notion Template here. ?

This efficient Notion Template ensures that you are communicating, collaborating, and calibrating successfully with your Executive Assistant.?

Just a quick review of this checklist will help keep you and your Executive Assistant in perfect alignment, instilling confidence as you delegate tasks and focus your time on what truly matters.

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