We’re already into holiday season. Are you excited that you have something booked or feeling blue that you’ve already been?

Whatever your situation, managing emails – whether you’re on holiday or just chasing your tail in a normal week – has become a hot topic linked to business productivity. But what can you do to manage them better? Here are this months’ top tips.

   – Do it once – read your emails once and decide whether you can delete, action, diarise or delegate them. Have time set aside each day for replying and actioning

– Don’t always have your email open – designate certain times of the day for doing emails so you aren’t interrupted or distracted when new ones land. Research shows bursts of intense concentration on one activity yield far better results than trying to multi-task

– Take advantage of other tech – Slack and Yammer are platforms built for internal communications between teams and avoid filling your inbox. Use Doodle or Calendly to set up meetings instead of emailing back and forth

– Send less emails! It seems pretty obvious, but if you want to receive less emails, send less emails. There are loads of ways to avoid sending emails: pick up the phone, walk over to someone’s desk, or keep a list of things to discuss when you see someone for your next meeting

Keep an eye out for our blog on options for tax-efficient ways to pay for childcare later this month and more tips in August.