We can celebrate chat tools, Slack threads, and the return to in-person collaboration, but in most large, traditional organisations, email is still the system of record. Official statements, warnings, approvals, notifications, and anything that needs a defensible paper trail almost always arrive by email. If you want to stay in control of your work, you have to stay in control of your inbox.
Why email still matters
Email is the channel leaders fall back on when something must be traceable and unambiguous. “I’ve emailed you about this” is shorthand for “this is now formally on the record.” Lose grip on your email, and you lose grip on decisions, timelines, and, ultimately, credibility.
Signs you’re losing control
- Only reachable on chat. People default to pinging you because email responses lag.
- Meeting overload. When someone books meetings for everything and involves large numbers of people in these calls, it often means they can’t manage the information flow via email and so are having to get it repeated to them in person.
- And, obviously, the fact that you have thousands, if not tens of thousands, of unread emails in your inbox.
These are symptoms of the same problem: your inbox is just overflowing.
If you can’t keep up, something must move
If maintaining your inbox feels impossible, don’t just keep drowning; make a change:
- Get support. Ask for assistance with triage or admin.
- Delegate other work. Free up time to handle essential communication.
- Reduce optional involvement. Skip non-essential meetings to protect focus time, even if that triggers a little FOMO.
- Set expectations. Tell stakeholders when you process email (e.g., twice daily) so they know when to expect replies.
Practical inbox habits that work
Thankfully one of my LDC Via colleagues, Matt White, has recently done a blog post on this and provided a good set of tips and ways of dealing with a heavy inbox.
Bottom line
Managers and subject-matter specialists who lose control of their email rarely have a happy work life; they’re permanently reactive. Whatever method you choose, treat your inbox like the operational cockpit it is. Stay on top of it, and your life will be a little less stressful.