Email saving tips: 5 time-saving email hacks

In the modern world, email is everywhere, and there’s not a single professional out there who isn’t overloaded with emails every single day.

Sure, we need email in business - it’s just the way things are done these days - but it’s too often the case that email takes up way too much of our time.

That’s just not how it should be. You don’t have time to be wasting on email management - you have a job to do.

Email should be a time-saver, not a time-sink, so we’ve put together some email tips that can help you save time, spend less time on menial email tasks, and have more time on the work that matters most.

Key takeaways

• Save time by following up correctly with Mailbutler
• Save time by using email templates
• Save time by reaching inbox zero
• Save time by organizing your email to-dos
• Save time by using email signatures

Save time by following up correctly

Let’s face it - following up on emails can be a huge pain, but in business, it’s not just necessary: it’s critical to success. However, what most people do when it comes to email follow-up is to basically hope they remember to do it.

That means email follow-ups are taking up your headspace. And guess what?

You’ve probably forgotten more than once to follow up on an email - not exactly something you can get away with in business.

Even if you’re setting reminders on your calendar or on your phone, this is taking up time that could be better spent elsewhere.

And how often have you ignored a reminder on your phone?

What you need is a more effective method of following up on emails. There are plenty of tools out there that allow you to set email reminders within your email client of choice.

In fact, some of the best tools will automatically remind you to follow up on emails.

If you want to save time on email follow-up, you use a tool that will automatically remind you to follow up on critical emails, or at least one that allows you to set a reminder within the app with a single click.

Like Mailbutler! Mailbutler helps you save time with tasks and follow-up reminders.

How to save time by using email templates

Email templates can save you time by making it so you don’t have to keep writing the same email over and over again. This is especially important if you’re in sales or marketing - or if you own your own business.

You’re sending very similar emails over and over, and in many cases, you’re likely just changing the greeting.

When you write these emails, you’re likely sending them with an email client like Mailchimp, which means it’s easy to set up a template.

But if you’re often sending them manually, you’ll want to put together an email template in a Google Doc or Word Doc so that you can quickly copy and paste the template.

You can even set up Outlook email templates or Gmail email templates so that you can use them over and over directly in your email client of choice.

Mailbutler Email Templates can also help with this, giving you a wealth of customization options and the ability to include them in an email in just a few clicks.

Save time by reaching inbox zero

The whole point of inbox zero is to clean up your inbox so you do less work on your emails. It takes time to reach inbox zero, but once you have, you’ll be more productive.

The reason for this is simple — you can stick to a schedule of checking your email only a few times a day because you won’t have to worry about them piling up.

There are different ways of blocking out time for your emails. You could check your emails three times a day - once in the morning, once at lunch, and once at the end of the day.

On the other hand, you could block out a single period of time during the day to check your emails and then leave them alone until the next day.

Techniques like this help you stay productive instead of getting bogged down by emails throughout the day, interrupting your work.

If you have a ton of emails sitting around that you need to go through, now’s the time to do it.

Save time by organizing your email to-dos

Turning emails into tasks makes them manageable. Having a list of to-dos in your emails turns your work into manageable chunks. Working through emails step-by-step is easier than just diving in and trying to do everything at once.

This is a great way of reaching inbox zero. If you’re jumping from one email to the next, then you’re going to feel overwhelmed, like you’re not done until you get every single email opened.

Instead, categorize them. Maybe you’ll tackle emails from a single client or a single coworker at a time.

Maybe you categorize them by week or month.

Maybe you categorize them by order of importance. In each case, you’ve organized the work into manageable chunks.

You can work through one set of tasks, feel accomplished, and then work on something else. Then you can come back and do another set of emails.

Another great way to organize email to-dos is to use notes and tasks directly in your inbox.

This is especially useful if you share an inbox with someone. You can make sure that opened emails don’t get lost in the shuffle by assigning those emails to a team member.

You can also leave notes so that team members know what they need to do with each email. Check out the Mailbutler Notes feature for more information.

Save time by using email signatures

Most people don’t think a lot about their email signatures. They put together something basic in Outlook, Gmail or Apple Mail and they use that for every email they send.

Maybe that works for some people, but if you’re in sales or marketing, having access to multiple email signatures for multiple types of clients or prospects can be a really good idea.

And after you’ve made a couple of good signatures, they work without you having to do anything. It’s very much a set-it-and-forget-it situation.

With Mailbutler's Email Signatures for Outlook, Gmail and Apple Mail, you can have multiple signatures, and once they’re organized, they can be set to be specific to your recipient.

In combination with templates, signatures can be a powerful way of sending high-quality emails quickly, saving you time and allowing you to focus on other higher-priority tasks.

Time-saving email examples

Set up specific "inbox time"

My #1 method of saving time spent on emails is to set up specific "inbox time." Spending too much time in your inbox doesn't help anybody, and it usually makes you lazy and less confident about your emails.

Setting up a time for your inbox means you have dedicated time to complete your emails, and it also pushes you to work harder and smarter to achieve your end-of-day goals.

Depending on your workload, I would recommend anywhere between 10, 30, to 60 minutes per day of inbox time during which you dedicate your full attention and focus to finishing and completing your email tasks.

Michael Maximoff, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Belkins

Using a CRM (customer relationship management) system

Using a CRM (customer relationship management) system, you can easily keep track of emails you send and receive. This helps you keep track of the communication history, especially if you have a long-term relationship with your customer.

You can easily search for past emails and find answers to questions that were asked in the past.

There are many CRMs out there to choose from, but I would recommend using an all-in-one CRM like Salesforce or HubSpot that has email built in. You can easily send emails directly from the CRM and track opens, clicks, and the engagement within the email.

Matthew Ramirez, Founder, Rephrasely

Time-saving email tips FAQs

How do I save time when emailing?

When it comes to saving time when using your email, there are quite a few effective pieces of advice you should follow. These include:

• Creating email templates for your invoices, quotes, and follow-up messages so you don’t have to write the same email over and over again
• Setting follow-up tasks so you don’t have to go through your messages to find the ones you need to reply to
• Building a simple email folder system and moving your emails to the right location so you can reach inbox zero and spend less time managing your mailbox
• Using a professional email signature template so you can send business emails quickly

With Mailbutler integrated into your Gmail, Apple Mail, or Outlook inbox, you have access to a powerful set of features, including email templates, tasks and follow-up tasks, email signatures, notes, and many others.

How do you manage time efficiently while emailing?

Start by reserving a few hours of your work day for checking and responding to emails and try your best to stick to the schedule.

Then, turn off your email notifications so you can focus on other important tasks the rest of the time.

Another great tip that can help you spend less time in your email inbox is to set up several different email folders to serve as archiving locations. This way, you’ll be able to find any message with ease.

How can email productivity be improved?

As a Gmail, Apple Mail, or Outlook user, one of the most convenient ways to improve your email productivity is to install Mailbutler.

Mailbutler integrates directly into your inbox, meaning you don’t have to familiarize yourself with any new software program to start using it.

This robust email extension allows you to create email templates so you can stop wasting time composing repetitive messages.

It also lets you set follow-up tasks and other to-dos, add notes to your emails and contacts, and track the messages you send so you know exactly when to take further action on them.

Use Mailbutler to save time and boost your email productivity

Mailbutler is a powerful email productivity-enhancing tool that can really up your email game. Learn more about what Mailbutler can do for you.

In the face of an overflowing inbox, Mailbutler's Smart Assistant is your secret weapon. This feature is designed to help you manage your email more efficiently, freeing up your time for more important tasks.

The Smart Assistant uses artificial intelligence to analyze your emails and provide actionable suggestions. For example, it can identify tasks within your emails and automatically create to-do items, ensuring you never miss an important action.

The Smart Assistant can help you write more effective emails. It can suggest improvements to your email content, such as making your language more polite or professional or making your message clearer and more concise.

By automating these tasks, the Smart Assistant reduces the mental load of managing your email and helps you work more efficiently. With Mailbutler's Smart Assistant, you can transform your email from a time sink into a productivity tool.