How To Do Email In Just 30 Minutes A Day

This one is going to be hard to swallow, perhaps.

I could give you the answer in one short sentence.

In fact, I will. But I don't feel I can do it without preamble, or else you may be tempted to take it merely as a joke, or dismiss it out right.

So please understand me when I say my advice on this subject is quite serious. And please believe me when I also say that the answer to your e-mail problem is deceptively simple.

You will, no doubt be skeptical about my solution. All I ask is that you are at least open to it.

I'm not asking you to believe me, I am simply asking you to suspend your disbelief until you have tried it.

Okay, here is how to do your e-mail in just 30 minutes a day…

When you open your e-mail program, set a timer for 30 minutes, and when the timer expires, you are done with e-mail for the day.

That's it. There's nothing else.

The timer will force you to be efficient, to keep your responses short, and to respond only to e-mails worthy of a response. The timer will force you to discard all junk mail, all entertaining-but-unproductive e-mail, and it will force you to be ruthless about what you give your attention to.

The timer is the only discipline you need.

Ray Edwards is a world-renowned copywriter and communications strategist, writing for some of the most powerful voices in leadership and business including New York Times bestselling authors Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen (Chicken Soup for the Soul) and Tony Robbins. Ray is a sought-after speaker and author, hosts a popular weekly podcast, and blogs at RayEdwards.com.