Here are some tips and tricks to help you get your email under control using Hiri.
Foldering doesn’t work!
The old way
Many people rely on complex folder structures, as they believe this will help them recall and action emails efficiently. In reality, research has shown that using folders slows down communication and contributes to a sense of being overwhelmed (Source: IBM). It's also 20% faster to recall emails using search vs. looking through folders.
The Hiri way
Keep it simple. Separate the things you need to do, from the things you just need to know about. Drag emails to the Action and FYI filters. It’s the only real distinction you need to make.
Stop checking your mail so often
The old way
Every time you receive an email, most email apps usually pop up a notification, and you check your mail. This is killing your focus. On average, we check our email 96 times a day! The time you take to switch from what you are doing, check your mail and get back to what you are doing can take 60 seconds per email check. It’s like an alarm going off every 5 minutes.
The Hiri way
The dashboard reminds you not to check your email so often. It will appear after 90 seconds of inactivity and remind you not to check your email for another 30 minutes. This helps you keep focused and saves you time.
Make sure you action important emails
The old way
You probably intuitively try to capture actionable emails. Maybe you mark them as unread. Perhaps you move them to a folder. You might even add them as a task in a separate program or write them down. About 10% of the emails you receive require an action from you. But they often get lost in a busy, noisy inbox.
The Hiri way
Simply drag emails to the right hand side to capture them as a task. You can add reminders, notes and due dates to ensure they actually get actioned. Never lose track of another email.
Deal with your emails using the Four D's
- Do: Add to the Actionable folder to triage later, or move to the To-Do list
- Defer: Use the Snooze functionality and a mail will return to your inbox at a specified date and time
- Delegate: In Hiri this works similar to the way Forward works, but appends a message to the top of the mail to let the recipient know this is an action that you have passed to them.
- Delete: This one is the same as it is everywhere else :)