3 Habits I Changed to Stop Wasting Hours on Emails

I have a confession to make… 

Email has been a struggle for me. The emails just never stop coming in. I often find myself opening the same email over and over again, avoiding taking action on it…

I could sit down and spend an hour going through my email looking for what is important and still have a full inbox at the end. It left me with a sense of unease that I might be missing something in there.

Like many online business owners, I was stuck in an endless loop of checking, replying, and managing emails. And every time I’d go into email to send an email, I’d get distracted by something in my inbox.

The problem was clear. My inbox had full control of my day. And my inbox was 95% other people’s agenda. It was stealing time from what was most important to me.

I knew something had to change if I wanted to reclaim my time and finally get back to working on the high-impact activities that actually moved the needle in my business. So, I did some digging, made a few key shifts, and now I spend a fraction of the time in email.

In this post, I’m going to share the 3 habits I changed to stop wasting hours on emails—because trust me, if you’re ready to take back control of your inbox (and your day), these strategies are going to be a game-changer for you, too.

Limiting How Often I Checked Email

Let’s be real—email is like that sneaky neighbor who keeps dropping by unannounced. Every time you stop to check your inbox, you’re opening the door to distractions that pull you away from what really matters.

You know the drill: You sit down to work on a project, but before you dive in, you figure, “I’ll just take a quick peek at my email.” The next thing you know, you’ve responded to a handful of messages, clicked on a few links, and somehow ended up reading an article about a completely unrelated topic. Suddenly, an hour is gone.

The constant checking isn’t just a distraction—it is a productivity killer. And even worse, each time I checked, I felt like I had to make decisions right then and there. This decision fatigue added up. Should I reply now or later? Should I archive or keep this for reference? All of these micro-decisions drained my mental energy before I even got to my real work.

What’s worse, every time I opened my inbox, I created a new open loop in my brain. These little unfinished tasks lingered in the back of my mind, taking up precious mental space. It felt like I had too many windows open on my computer, except the windows were in my head.

So I made a change—I decided to limit how often I checked my email. Instead of dipping into my inbox every hour, I set specific times to check and process it. No more endless back-and-forth throughout the day. 

I started checking twice a day: once in the morning and once later in the afternoon. The result? I finally had uninterrupted time to focus on my high-impact work. It was like shutting off the noise and tuning into what really mattered.

If you want to cut back on wasted hours in your inbox, the first thing I’d recommend is scheduling a specific time in your day to check your email. Then, set the firm boundary that you will not check your email outside of that window. 

Processing Instead of Just Checking

Now here’s the thing—just checking email is like walking into a room, glancing around, and then leaving it exactly the way you found it. Nothing gets done, but you’ve still wasted the effort of walking in.

For years, I fell into this trap. I’d open my inbox, scroll through emails, and then… leave them there, unresolved. Sure, I had “seen” them, but I wasn’t actually moving anything forward.

It’s like looking at a to-do list over and over again but not crossing anything off. Those emails just piled up, creating mental clutter and adding stress. I knew if I wanted to stop wasting time, I needed to shift from checking to processing. 

Instead of passively scrolling, I started handling emails with intention. Every time I opened my inbox, I asked myself, “Can I delete, delegate, or handle this right now?” If I could reply in under two minutes, I did it immediately. If it needed more attention, I moved it into a designated action folder (more on that in a minute).

By processing emails instead of just “checking in,” I reduced the anxiety of feeling like my inbox was a black hole of unfinished tasks. My email became a system to move things forward, not a source of stress.

The next time you check your email, go through your unread messages with the thought: delete, delegate or handle. DON’T just look at them– take some sort of action. 

Sorting Emails Into Action Buckets

Imagine walking into a room where everything you own is scattered on the floor. No rhyme or reason, just chaos. That’s how my inbox used to feel—every email, no matter how big or small, was lumped together, and I’d spend way too much time trying to decide what needed action and what didn’t.

The turning point came when I realized I needed to create clear buckets for different types of emails. 

Instead of keeping everything in one overwhelming inbox, I created folders (or labels, if you’re using Gmail) for specific actions: “To Respond,” “To Read,” and “To Do.” By sorting emails as soon as they came in, I gave myself a game plan for dealing with them later.

This habit of sorting not only decluttered my inbox but also allowed me to batch tasks. Instead of jumping in and out of my email all day, I could sit down for a focused block of time and tackle everything in one category. 

Need to respond to all of your “To Do” emails? Done in one sitting. Have 10 minutes to kill? Check out your “To Read” folder. It turns email from a constant distraction into a streamlined process.

Batching similar tasks not only saves time but can also help you stay in the right mental zone. Instead of constantly switching gears, you can focus on one type of action at a time, keeping you more productive and less stressed.

Of course, these are just a few of the habits I’ve adopted to break free from email overwhelm—and believe me, there are even more strategies I use now that help me stay in control of my inbox without it taking over my day. 

The best part? You can start using these habits right now and immediately begin to reclaim your time and focus for the high-impact, money-making activities that actually move your business forward.

Remember, it’s not about eliminating email—it’s about managing it in a way that works for you. And once you implement these habits, you’ll feel the difference. You’ll go from constantly reacting to your inbox to running your day with intention and clarity. 

If you’re ready to stop letting emails rule your time, try these strategies and watch how much more productive and peaceful your workdays become.