psst…your inbox is infested.

Ping. That’s your phone at 5:13am.

But it’s not your obnoxious alarm. You’ve already jolted up and brushed your teeth.  Attempting to enjoy a few minutes of solitude before your day begins.

But your inbox has other plans. 

It desperately wants to deliver this morning’s most irrelevant message.

Subject line: “Here’s a new feature of that platform you rarely use…fyi”

Now imagine if it was your team member. Tracking you down while you’re with a client just to say, 

“I replaced my toothbrush this morning, thought you should know.”

🤦🏾‍♀️ How absurd!

No one needs nor wants unprompted “urgent” updates of useless information. 

These updates would annoy you coming from your team. So why allow it from your inbox?

What starts as a simple signup, ends in an inbox infestation.

Now your unread messages are in the hundreds. Pertinent emails are concealed beneath the critters of irrelevancy. 

The solution: Guard your inbox as if your profit depends on it.

As soon as you see one, you know there’s more 

Here's the not-so-secret industry secret:  First contact with businesses adds you to their marketing funnel. You’re bound to see them in your inbox again.

Has this happened to you?

You requested a quote from an agency and their services are no longer needed. But for some reason they’re still emailing you. 

For you, it was a simple question. To them, it was an offer to settle in.

And now, it’s time to call the exterminator. 

The quickest way to start clearing your inbox is to unsubscribe. 

Every time an unwanted email crawls in your inbox, take a moment to squash it. Scroll down until you find the “Unsubscribe” blurb, follow the instructions, and stop them from coming back.

A laptop with email icons swarming

Here’s how to purge your business inbox (and never miss the messages that matter most):

Only use your business email for (insert drumroll) business.

I get it, you’re at a networking conference and you stumbled upon a like-minded individual. Time to exchange information! You want to share the same email you give to clients. Brand consistency is crucial. 

But until they become a warm lead or collaborator, your business email isn’t the best line of communication. 

If it’s a personal connection, give them your personal email. They’ll understand why the invitation to their child’s recital doesn’t belong on your work calendar. Balance in your personal and professional life starts in your inbox.

Setup a business-related email 

Let this serve as your catch-all email for people, places, things that are related to your business, but not-quite business focused. 

A Gmail account as yourbusinessname@gmail.com maintains brand recognition while saving room in your official business inbox. Consider this the address for emails you welcome, but aren't critical to your business. Share this address with potential vendors, software, or platforms.

You’ll still be in the loop but you won’t be bombarded by marketing. Reclaim the power to engage with brands when it’s convenient for you.

Give back

A growing business knows how pricey CRMs can be. You’re charged for every email address and every message sent. As your mailing list grows, so does your expense. You wouldn’t keep sending emails to someone who hardly opens them.

After all, you’re charged whether they’ve opened your email or not. Better to mark them as ‘unengaged’ and pay for the person who actually wants your emails. 

This is how you give back.

Think of unsubscribing like ‘paying it forward’. It says, kindly, 'I’m not interested so I’ll give up my seat for someone who is'.

Do this and you’ll help businesses everywhere save hundreds of dollars in CRM costs. Philanthropy comes in many forms.😌

Email cheat sheet

Whether you're starting a new business or you're years in, set up your inbox to prevent an infestation of unwanted mail.

Below are alternative email addresses to help keep your inbox clear.

Email address	Used For:	Examples
info@yourbusinessname.com	Inquiries, general correspondence	Someone visits your site asking for a quote or to book a quick call
support@yourbusinessname.com	questions or tech	A customer reaches out because something’s not working right and they need help fast.
yourbusinessname@gmail.com	business related	For newsletters, market research, and vendor updates.

Now, if your inbox isn't infested, but still a bit congested, you need a different approach. That's when it's time to use automations to help sort your mail.

There are automations to organize your mail by categories and labels. You can even skip reading every email and have AI deliver a midday summary of your inbox.

With these tools, there is no need to be intimidated by endless emails.

Ready to refresh your workflow?

Hi, I’m Jackie, The Workflow Whisperer. I help busy entrepreneurs bring balance to their business. 

Organizing an inbox is tedious but your workflow will thank you. Less clutter, less distractions, less missed messages, more space to grow your business.

I offer strategic business solutions and implement workflows so you and your team can focus on high-level tasks. Learn more.

Thanks for reading!