Thread by @jspujji

I attribute a lot of my success to being really really good at email.

Here's my playbook for how you can handle 50K+ emails/year without breaking a sweat 👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽

1/ First, a reframe: WHY do I do it?

I view my inbox as opportunity: a deal to close, an amazing candidate to hire or a chance to give a team-member guidance or feedback.

I promised myself I'd never be the CEO/Founder who bottlenecks my team.

And so I needed to master email.

2/ What I learned is top 1% email skills come down to 3 things:

1) Keyboard shortcuts + the right settings
2) Using the GTD System to "process" each email
3) Writing fewer and shorter emails

Let's start with how to cut down email time from hours to minutes...

3/ Inbox 0 is a must to keep your mind clear of email-related anxiety.

Those 1000+ unread are 1000+ opportunities but also 1000+ tiny to-dos taking up space in the back of your brain.

Keyboard shortcuts are the key to speedy email processing...

4/ In Gmail, you can use Shift + ? to bring the full list up on screen

Some of my favorites include:
g+i = go to inbox
c = compose
r = reply
a = reply all
x = select
e = archive

Mastering keyboard shortcuts is the start, but you need the right settings to maximize your time...

5/ Make sure to turn on auto-advance, it will keep you in the flow by moving to the next email without doing a thing. Also Send + Archive.

Block two or three 30 min sessions to review/process email.

Morning, Lunch, and Evening is all it takes.

6/ When it comes to actual responses, consider the 4Ds framework (S/O to @iansavas for the wonderful graphic and David Allen for "Getting Things Done")

To get to Inbox Zero, you must do 1 of 4 things with each email:
• Delete/Archive
• Delegate
• Defer (snooze)
• Do

7/ If you don't need to do anything or respond, go ahead and delete the email (shortcut: e for archive instead)

If someone else on your team can handle it, forward (f) with a clear request/deadline. Write down that you are waiting for a response or snooze it to a future date.

8/ If an email requires more than 2 minutes to handle, use the shortcut b to snooze it.

Pick a time amount you need to do the task/respond and schedule it in your calendar. Group certain tasks together for bigger blocks.

Doing it then will break your flow.

Last...

9/ For the <2min tasks and responses hit r and handle it.

With this approach + shortcuts, I can "process" 50 emails in <15 mins.

The most important thing is that I've seen each email so I have visibility into my org/day.

The last piece of this is actually writing emails...

10/ Here is my approach:

- Send less email! (the less you send, the less you get). Can this be a slack/phone call/text/or just sit tight?
- Keep it short, 3-6 sentences... if less, its a slack, if more, its a quick call!
- Lead with your ask/recommendation

(cont'd)

11/ - Avoid yes or no questions
- When moving a meeting to "asynch email," use Notion/Gdocs so your email is still short
- Use emojis to signal your emotions
- Don't sweat punctuation or casing
- Include deadlines and specific requests
- Add the Undo button

12/ Here's the closing thought:

Imagine if there was a tool that allowed you to know everything happening in your company in real time, delegate quickly, organize your time and paceset the organization.

There is - it's called email.

All great CEOs I know have mastered it.

13/ TLDR - Top 1% email skills to reach Inbox 0

1) Use keyboard shortcuts, the mouse slows you down
2) Snooze emails that take longer than 2 min and set aside time for them
3) Batch your emails into 3x20-30mins each day
4) Keep your replies clear and concise

14/ If you enjoyed this thread, follow me @jspujji

I tweet advice and stories about entrepreneurship and leadership like this every week.

Like this one about how my Sunday Ritual 👇🏽

https://twitter.com/jspujji/status/1421927917303521281?s=20

15/ If you enjoyed this, subscribe to my newsletter 3-1-4. It comes up every other week with 3 links, 1 thought and 4 opportunities.
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