54. 50% Less Email in Your Interior Design Business
Did you know that the average interior designer spends two to three hours per day in their inbox? Email communication can get chaotic and sloppy very quickly. If you resonate with that feeling of being weighed down by your email inbox and it seems like they pile up every time you look away, you’re in the right place.
The problem isn’t that you’re not getting through your emails efficiently enough. The truth is, you could implement all the productivity hacks in the world, and they still wouldn’t solve the root issue of getting too many emails in your inbox in the first place. That’s why I’m offering one simple strategy you can use right now to lighten the load.
Join me this week to discover one simple tweak that will cut your emails by 50% and free up hours of time that you can spend getting the most important things done in your business. You’ll hear how your inbox is blocking you from billable client work and business growth initiatives, why productivity isn’t the ultimate solution, and the real problem that’s causing email overload.
Enrollment for Out of Overwhelm opens November 13th 2023. Click here to join the waitlist.
And, for a limited time, if you leave me a rating and review, you can be entered to win a one-on-one coaching session with me! All you have to do is leave your rating and review, and then click here.
What You’ll Discover from this Episode:
How your emails are preventing you from getting the most important work done in your business.
Why increased productivity doesn’t address the root issue.
What the concept of hot-potato emailing means.
How your mindset contributes to the overabundance of emails you receive.
The secret to cutting your emails in half.
Listen to the Full Episode:
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Full Episode Transcript:
Hey designer, you’re listening to episode 54. We’re going to be talking about email today, and specifically how to cut your email in half so you can get out of your inbox and get the most important things done in your interior design business.
Welcome to The Interior Design Business CEO, the only show for designers who are ready to confidently run and grow their businesses without the stress and anxiety. If you’re ready to develop a bigger vision for your interior design business, free up your time, and streamline your days for productivity and profit, you’re in the right place. I’m Desi Creswell, an award-winning interior designer and certified life and business coach. I help interior designers just like you stop feeling overwhelmed so they can build profitable businesses they love to run. Are you ready to confidently lead your business, clients, and projects? Let’s go.
Hello designer, welcome back to the podcast. I’m so glad to be here with you today. It’s been a little bit of a while since I recorded. I took a week off for our family’s fall break. Kids had off of school and we headed out to Utah and checked out a bunch of different areas, including a bunch of national parks. This is my, I think, third or fourth time being in Utah and I just love it more and more every time we go.
We did so much hiking. I mean the landscape is just beautiful. We also did, I would never choose to do this but the experience of doing it with my husband and kids was really fun. We did a UTV tour, which is like an ATV. I don’t know what the U stands for, I meant to look that up. But anyways, you are going over this crazy terrain.
And normally, like I said, would not do this. But it was really fun watching my kids in the back just having the best time and my husband getting a total kick out of driving this vehicle up these really sharp inclines and down the inclines. It was just a blast. So for all of you Utah designers, I just want you to know I love your state.
Today, we are going to be talking about that never ending thing on your to-do list, your email, right? Every time you look away for a second, they just pile up. So what I want to talk about more specifically today is how to cut your email in half because that, designer, is your real problem. Not how fast you’re moving through the emails, but the amount you’re getting to begin with.
Before we dive into the topic, though, I do want to do a little bit of celebration. It is the one year anniversary of me publishing this podcast. And I absolutely love sharing these tools and concepts with you all. And without you, designer, on the other end, I’d just be talking to myself. And the reason that I love to share what I talk about on the podcast is because it really will radically change the way you show up personally and professionally and the amount of joy, resilience and self-defined success that you are able to create.
But if none of you were listening, and I was just here in my office talking to myself, I would not be fulfilling my mission to empower you in your interior design business as the owner, as the CEO, so that you can truly thrive. And I really do want you to know that I appreciate each and every one of you for being here with me.
MereParr recently left me a review. She said, “Great content. Always enjoy listening to Desi’s podcast. You can never be too organized in this chaotic business.” Absolutely. Thank you so much for making the time to leave that review. And I invite all of you to celebrate the one year anniversary of this podcast with me by leaving a review on whatever platform you listen to your podcasts.
This is the best way for you to share the podcast, get it in front of more designers, and help us radically shift the industry in how we both get to live and work. And as a reminder, I am still doing the private coaching session giveaway. So if you leave a rating and review and then submit the quick form that is linked in the show notes, you will be entered to win a private session with me to use however you want. So that’s a little thank you from me, to you, for helping me celebrate and share this podcast.
Let’s now talk about how to cut your email in half as an interior designer so you can get out of your inbox and away from your desk and get the most important work done in your business. Both on your back end, so that your business is really supported and thriving, and for your clients because, of course, we want to make sure that the client work is getting done. That’s how you get paid. It is how you create beautiful spaces that you’re proud of. It’s how your name gets out into your community to gather more referrals.
And when you get out of your inbox, you’re going to be able to get you into work mode with the most important things, and also get back into your life. Because think about all the time that you are distracted with email when you’re going about your day. Whether that is trying to go to a yoga class, or maybe you’re trying to sneak in a few emails while your kids are at practice. It really takes up a lot of time, and it takes up a lot of your mental energy and attention.
One of the things about running an interior design business that can feel especially chaotic is communication, specifically that email inbox. And I want to talk to you about this today because it relates to a bonus that members of the Out Of Overwhelm waitlist will have access to for a limited time, but it’s only for the waitlist.
I’m sure you’ve heard me talk about Out Of Overwhelm, it is my signature group coaching program. It’s going to be opening up for enrollment November 13th, but if you’re on the waitlist you’re going to get access to those very limited spots a week early. And I’ve also got this incredible bonus for you. I’ve been in full-on launch planning mode with getting all the materials ready. I’m going to be doing an incredible masterclass on how to create a profitable, fulfilling, efficient interior design business.
So you’ll want to be on the lookout for that on the newsletter list so you’re getting the information for sign up when that goes out. And then also, a few other surprises I have up my sleeve. But this specific bonus is going to only be available to the waitlist for designers who join in early November for Out Of Overwhelm that’s going to kick off in January 2024.
And this bonus is going to be designed to specifically help you cut your email in half, including a comprehensive guide to the most important action steps you can take to cut your email quantity by 50%. Plus, you’re going to get a one on one strategy session with me to talk about your most pressing issue live. And we’re going to coach and we’re going to create a solution for your email inbox with your most pressing pain point that you can start implementing immediately.
Again, this bonus is only available to those of you who are on the waitlist. If you’re already on the waitlist or if you’re about to join, which I highly suggest you do by clicking the link in the show notes, you’re going to want to watch your email on November 7th in the morning. That is when I’m going to send out the email where you can apply to Out Of Overwhelm, claim your bonus, there is another really great bonus coming too that’s going to help you market to ideal clients. And then you’re going to be able to claim your spot in the program early.
Like I said, space is extremely limited. It’s only 15 designers because I like this to be an incredibly intimate, high-touch experience with so much support from me. And so you’re going to want to grab your spot early, plus take advantage of these bonuses. So if you’re not on the waitlist, now is the time to join. The link is going to be in the show notes, and it has all the details on Out Of Overwhelm, my four month signature group program that’s going to take you from being overwhelmed and stressed to being profitable, efficient and fulfilled so that you can have a thriving business that you love to run.
If you’re not familiar with Out Of Overwhelm, we always start with the mindset piece because that impacts everything you’re doing and not doing in business and then we dive right into time management. And you’re practicing these tools using the Out Of Overwhelm process for the entire program, using the custom planner, the workbook and then getting tons of consistent feedback and coaching from me.
And then after we cover those foundational aspects, we move on to solve the most essential issues that keep you stressed and stretched thin. Challenges such as setting boundaries, creating space for CEO activities to market to your ideal clients, to get your finances under control and to stop people pleasing everyone else, clients and employees, so that you’re the one in charge of you and in charge of your business.
What we cover in Out Of Overwhelm really is the solution to managing your time so that you can create a profitable, efficient interior design business that you love to run and also make it possible to thrive outside of work as well. That is so important to my coaching philosophy. You can absolutely be in love with what you do and the work you put out in the world, but I also want you to love a robust life outside of work as well.
So go ahead, click that link in the show notes, sign up for the waitlist. You’re going to be able to read all about the program including the new option to add on one on one private coaching sessions with me if you’re looking for both the Out Of Overwhelm curriculum and that extra layer of support and accountability on top of this already very high-touch program. With that bonus you’re going to get all of my best strategies for keeping that inbox clear.
And I also am so excited, I can’t keep it to myself, so we’re going to start today and give you something that you can use immediately to get out from under the weight of those emails. Because let me guess, it feels like you’re drowning in emails. Listen to this, the average designer spends at least two to three hours per day in their inbox.
And I think this is actually much more when you’re thinking about the number of times you’re checking email without actually doing anything with those messages. Like opening them and then reading them, but then marking them unread. Or you’re checking them at a spotlight. Or you’re reading and rereading and ruminating over the email.
Sorting and responding and checking your emails is just such a major distraction and a time suck. It takes you away from billable client work, business growth initiatives, and focused blocks of creative time during the workday, which I know all of you crave. And it really keeps you from being present in your life outside of work.
I’m sure so many of you can relate to the mental weight of email hanging over your head in and out of the office. And becoming a more efficient, clear communicator is part of the solution. But it’s only one part of the solution, and that’s because increased productivity doesn’t address the root issue, which is too many emails to begin with. This is where we need to start.
If you focus only on productivity with hacks such as autofill typing, sorting systems and templates, or having someone else answer your emails, you’re not actually solving the whole problem. It’s like trying to plug a hole in a sinking boat with newspaper or something. You’re going to have a little bit of a solution, but definitely that is not going to be the ultimate solution.
You need to actually fully repair the boat. You need to block the water from coming in in the first place. So all of the productivity hacks in the world are not going to solve for having too much email to begin with. So first, we solve for the quantity of email, and then you streamline the process.
It’s really similar to the issue of time management and why so many of you that I’ve talked to tell me you’ve tried everything to manage your time but nothing works or nothing sticks and you don’t stick with it. It goes back to solving for the wrong problem first.
Problems such as why you have so many things on your calendar in the first place. What are you saying yes to that should be a no? Where are you letting other people control your schedule of being in charge? And where are you letting anxiety and pressure set deadlines in your business instead of proactively planning and giving yourself the space you need to deliver and also the space to charge for with your fees for an incredible end result.
This is why I want to help you with this. This is what you’ll do in Out Of Overwhelm and you will start seeing the benefits of this intentional planning process I teach as soon as you start because it addresses the root issue. And today I want to give you one tip to solve for the root issue of the overabundance of email.
And we can continue to work together on this if you choose to join the January 2024 round of Out Of Overwhelm, especially if you join early with the bonus that I’m offering where you get that one on one strategy session with me plus all of these other incredible strategies for reducing your emails.
What I want you to focus on this week is reducing your hot potato emailing. Okay, I’m going to tell you what that is. But hot potato emailing is one of those root causes of way too many emails to sort through. So what do I mean by hot potato emailing? It’s the type of email that you send where it’s like you’re tossing it to someone else without really addressing the email, just so you can clear it from your box.
But then here’s the issue, it’s only going to be tossed back to you because other people like to hot potato email, too. So it ends up being this endless back and forth. And it might sound like outsourcing decisions, like what do you think, without offering your suggested course of action in your reply. Or you might be starting a huge back and forth email exchange that really requires dedicated thought and probably needs a phone call.
Hot potato emailing could mean sending a sentence like “we should meet” without a clear result defined for the meeting, or proposing set times to meet or offering your calendar link so that everyone can be prepared and focused. Or it’s clear, simple and easy for someone to just select a time off your calendar and then be done with it instead of all that hot potato back and forth.
Another example could be forwarding on an email to someone without clear direction on what they’re supposed to do, when they’re supposed to do it and by when, which then only leads to more emails to clarify the task and likely a lot of miscommunication and your expectations not being met and then you following up on things that could have been addressed with your initial email, thus creating more emails.
With just these three examples, you can see how the quantity of emails landing in your inbox can snowball very quickly. And instead of feverishly trying to respond to all of them, let’s pause and let’s stop them from coming into your inbox to begin with.
One of the very first things my clients learn is the self-coaching model, which is a cognitive behavioral therapy mindset tool that really helps you become aware of how your thoughts create feelings, your feelings drive your actions and your actions produce your results. And I’m bringing this up now because hot potato emailing starts with your mindset.
Hot potato email habits are a great example of how thoughts like I don’t want to deal with this, or I don’t have time, or I need to be dealing with something else, then go on to create the result of dealing with the email even more, both in quantity and time, and often in touching and reading the email chain multiple times before it’s officially resolved.
The hot potato email habit, that’s your action that you’re taking, starts with all these thoughts like I just don’t want to deal with this, I don’t have time, someone else should take care of this. That’s why I’m always talking about how we have to address the mindset, right? Because the thought process is what’s creating the hot potato email habit. And then it creates more emails, which is exactly what you don’t want.
We need to look at what am I thinking and feeling in order to compose and send very clear, concise emails with all of the information that’s needed, and creating space for actual communication time, instead of trying to do it in this hot potato way. This might mean receiving an email and realizing you need to create time to actually sit with it and deal with it as a task. But I guarantee you, if you don’t hot potato it, it’s going to save you so much time in the long run. And it’s going to drastically reduce the number of emails that you’re getting in the first place, which is going to save you time and a whole lot of mental energy.
Hot Potato email habits are really just habits, and you can definitely change those. And as a reminder when you join the waitlist and apply to Out Of Overwhelm, because this is only available to those of you who are on the waitlist and then go on to join me in Out Of Overwhelm during early enrollment, which is going to start November 7th you will receive my very best strategies for cutting the inbox clutter and reducing the quantity of emails clogging your Inbox by at least 50%.
And not only are you going to get that comprehensive resource for cutting your inbox in half, you will have a private one on one strategy session with me to talk through your biggest email challenge and walk away with a clear solution and next steps. I really want you to stop living in your inbox and start getting more out of your day. And Out Of Overwhelm is where you can do this along with my support.
You’re going to learn the mindset and the strategy for taking control of your business, your profits and your projects. And, of course, that is going to include communication, whether it is email, texting, phone calls, the way that you communicate in writing or your drawings. Communication can be a really powerful tool, or it can get really sloppy in your business and it makes a huge difference.
Let’s just recap what we talked about here today. We don’t want to just get better or more efficient at responding to emails or organizing your inbox. You need to first reduce the overall number of emails you receive. And then we can layer in strategies for streamlining your process. This week in particular you’re going to work on reducing your hot potato email habits because your email overload is really just a symptom that’s showing up from other issues that could easily be solved for.
When you make these simple tweaks around your email habits, including hot potato emailing, you are going to free up hours and hours of time. You’re going to have less time responding, less time organizing, less mental energy. I cannot overemphasize the impact of doing these simple tweaks. And you can use that time to improve your business, work on client projects, billable time and step away from work.
Your days are going to be smoother and more focused because you’re going to have less context switching. I’ve talked about that in past episodes where you’re bopping from one thing to the next. You’re going to have those bigger blocks of time to do creative work or work on your back end or just step away. There’s going to be less communication issues between your team and your contractors and vendors and your clients, because you’re going to learn to communicate effectively.
And then of course, you’re going to have so much mental freedom from not having that inbox hanging over your head. I’d love to hear what the impact is, what you notice when you work on limiting your hot potato email habit. You can always respond to an email that I send or send me a DM on Instagram. I always love to hear from all of you.
Next week I’ll be back with a brand new episode, as always, and it’ll be a good one. And until then, I’m wishing you a beautiful week. I’ll talk to you in the next episode.
Have you ever wished I could be your coach? If so, keep listening. For a limited time when you leave a rating and review for the podcast you’ll be entered to win a one on one coaching session with me. I can answer your questions and coach you on your unique challenges.
All you have to do is scroll down to the bottom of your podcast app, tap the five stars and leave a review. Tell me your favorite episode, why you look forward to listening every week, or why another designer needs to check out the show. It won’t take long, and as a thank you for leaving a rating and review you’ll have the opportunity to win a private coaching session with me.
Just click the link in the show notes to submit your review so I know how to get in touch. I can’t wait to select a winner and it might be you. I’ll talk to you next week.
Thanks for joining me for this week’s episode of The Interior Design Business CEO. If you want more tips, tools and strategies visit www.desicreswell.com. And if you’re ready to take what you’ve learned on the podcast to the next level, I would love for you to check out my signature group coaching program, Out of Overwhelm.
Welcome to The Interior Design Business CEO, the only show for designers who are ready to confidently run and grow their businesses without the stress and anxiety. If you’re ready to develop a bigger vision for your interior design business, free up your time, and streamline your days for productivity and profit, you’re in the right place. I’m Desi Creswell, an award-winning interior designer and certified life and business coach. I help interior designers just like you stop feeling overwhelmed so they can build profitable businesses they love to run. Are you ready to confidently lead your business, clients, and projects? Let’s go.
Hello designer, welcome back to the podcast. I’m so glad to be here with you today. It’s been a little bit of a while since I recorded. I took a week off for our family’s fall break. Kids had off of school and we headed out to Utah and checked out a bunch of different areas, including a bunch of national parks. This is my, I think, third or fourth time being in Utah and I just love it more and more every time we go.
We did so much hiking. I mean the landscape is just beautiful. We also did, I would never choose to do this but the experience of doing it with my husband and kids was really fun. We did a UTV tour, which is like an ATV. I don’t know what the U stands for, I meant to look that up. But anyways, you are going over this crazy terrain.
And normally, like I said, would not do this. But it was really fun watching my kids in the back just having the best time and my husband getting a total kick out of driving this vehicle up these really sharp inclines and down the inclines. It was just a blast. So for all of you Utah designers, I just want you to know I love your state.
Today, we are going to be talking about that never ending thing on your to-do list, your email, right? Every time you look away for a second, they just pile up. So what I want to talk about more specifically today is how to cut your email in half because that, designer, is your real problem. Not how fast you’re moving through the emails, but the amount you’re getting to begin with.
Before we dive into the topic, though, I do want to do a little bit of celebration. It is the one year anniversary of me publishing this podcast. And I absolutely love sharing these tools and concepts with you all. And without you, designer, on the other end, I’d just be talking to myself. And the reason that I love to share what I talk about on the podcast is because it really will radically change the way you show up personally and professionally and the amount of joy, resilience and self-defined success that you are able to create.
But if none of you were listening, and I was just here in my office talking to myself, I would not be fulfilling my mission to empower you in your interior design business as the owner, as the CEO, so that you can truly thrive. And I really do want you to know that I appreciate each and every one of you for being here with me.
MereParr recently left me a review. She said, “Great content. Always enjoy listening to Desi’s podcast. You can never be too organized in this chaotic business.” Absolutely. Thank you so much for making the time to leave that review. And I invite all of you to celebrate the one year anniversary of this podcast with me by leaving a review on whatever platform you listen to your podcasts.
This is the best way for you to share the podcast, get it in front of more designers, and help us radically shift the industry in how we both get to live and work. And as a reminder, I am still doing the private coaching session giveaway. So if you leave a rating and review and then submit the quick form that is linked in the show notes, you will be entered to win a private session with me to use however you want. So that’s a little thank you from me, to you, for helping me celebrate and share this podcast.
Let’s now talk about how to cut your email in half as an interior designer so you can get out of your inbox and away from your desk and get the most important work done in your business. Both on your back end, so that your business is really supported and thriving, and for your clients because, of course, we want to make sure that the client work is getting done. That’s how you get paid. It is how you create beautiful spaces that you’re proud of. It’s how your name gets out into your community to gather more referrals.
And when you get out of your inbox, you’re going to be able to get you into work mode with the most important things, and also get back into your life. Because think about all the time that you are distracted with email when you’re going about your day. Whether that is trying to go to a yoga class, or maybe you’re trying to sneak in a few emails while your kids are at practice. It really takes up a lot of time, and it takes up a lot of your mental energy and attention.
One of the things about running an interior design business that can feel especially chaotic is communication, specifically that email inbox. And I want to talk to you about this today because it relates to a bonus that members of the Out Of Overwhelm waitlist will have access to for a limited time, but it’s only for the waitlist.
I’m sure you’ve heard me talk about Out Of Overwhelm, it is my signature group coaching program. It’s going to be opening up for enrollment November 13th, but if you’re on the waitlist you’re going to get access to those very limited spots a week early. And I’ve also got this incredible bonus for you. I’ve been in full-on launch planning mode with getting all the materials ready. I’m going to be doing an incredible masterclass on how to create a profitable, fulfilling, efficient interior design business.
So you’ll want to be on the lookout for that on the newsletter list so you’re getting the information for sign up when that goes out. And then also, a few other surprises I have up my sleeve. But this specific bonus is going to only be available to the waitlist for designers who join in early November for Out Of Overwhelm that’s going to kick off in January 2024.
And this bonus is going to be designed to specifically help you cut your email in half, including a comprehensive guide to the most important action steps you can take to cut your email quantity by 50%. Plus, you’re going to get a one on one strategy session with me to talk about your most pressing issue live. And we’re going to coach and we’re going to create a solution for your email inbox with your most pressing pain point that you can start implementing immediately.
Again, this bonus is only available to those of you who are on the waitlist. If you’re already on the waitlist or if you’re about to join, which I highly suggest you do by clicking the link in the show notes, you’re going to want to watch your email on November 7th in the morning. That is when I’m going to send out the email where you can apply to Out Of Overwhelm, claim your bonus, there is another really great bonus coming too that’s going to help you market to ideal clients. And then you’re going to be able to claim your spot in the program early.
Like I said, space is extremely limited. It’s only 15 designers because I like this to be an incredibly intimate, high-touch experience with so much support from me. And so you’re going to want to grab your spot early, plus take advantage of these bonuses. So if you’re not on the waitlist, now is the time to join. The link is going to be in the show notes, and it has all the details on Out Of Overwhelm, my four month signature group program that’s going to take you from being overwhelmed and stressed to being profitable, efficient and fulfilled so that you can have a thriving business that you love to run.
If you’re not familiar with Out Of Overwhelm, we always start with the mindset piece because that impacts everything you’re doing and not doing in business and then we dive right into time management. And you’re practicing these tools using the Out Of Overwhelm process for the entire program, using the custom planner, the workbook and then getting tons of consistent feedback and coaching from me.
And then after we cover those foundational aspects, we move on to solve the most essential issues that keep you stressed and stretched thin. Challenges such as setting boundaries, creating space for CEO activities to market to your ideal clients, to get your finances under control and to stop people pleasing everyone else, clients and employees, so that you’re the one in charge of you and in charge of your business.
What we cover in Out Of Overwhelm really is the solution to managing your time so that you can create a profitable, efficient interior design business that you love to run and also make it possible to thrive outside of work as well. That is so important to my coaching philosophy. You can absolutely be in love with what you do and the work you put out in the world, but I also want you to love a robust life outside of work as well.
So go ahead, click that link in the show notes, sign up for the waitlist. You’re going to be able to read all about the program including the new option to add on one on one private coaching sessions with me if you’re looking for both the Out Of Overwhelm curriculum and that extra layer of support and accountability on top of this already very high-touch program. With that bonus you’re going to get all of my best strategies for keeping that inbox clear.
And I also am so excited, I can’t keep it to myself, so we’re going to start today and give you something that you can use immediately to get out from under the weight of those emails. Because let me guess, it feels like you’re drowning in emails. Listen to this, the average designer spends at least two to three hours per day in their inbox.
And I think this is actually much more when you’re thinking about the number of times you’re checking email without actually doing anything with those messages. Like opening them and then reading them, but then marking them unread. Or you’re checking them at a spotlight. Or you’re reading and rereading and ruminating over the email.
Sorting and responding and checking your emails is just such a major distraction and a time suck. It takes you away from billable client work, business growth initiatives, and focused blocks of creative time during the workday, which I know all of you crave. And it really keeps you from being present in your life outside of work.
I’m sure so many of you can relate to the mental weight of email hanging over your head in and out of the office. And becoming a more efficient, clear communicator is part of the solution. But it’s only one part of the solution, and that’s because increased productivity doesn’t address the root issue, which is too many emails to begin with. This is where we need to start.
If you focus only on productivity with hacks such as autofill typing, sorting systems and templates, or having someone else answer your emails, you’re not actually solving the whole problem. It’s like trying to plug a hole in a sinking boat with newspaper or something. You’re going to have a little bit of a solution, but definitely that is not going to be the ultimate solution.
You need to actually fully repair the boat. You need to block the water from coming in in the first place. So all of the productivity hacks in the world are not going to solve for having too much email to begin with. So first, we solve for the quantity of email, and then you streamline the process.
It’s really similar to the issue of time management and why so many of you that I’ve talked to tell me you’ve tried everything to manage your time but nothing works or nothing sticks and you don’t stick with it. It goes back to solving for the wrong problem first.
Problems such as why you have so many things on your calendar in the first place. What are you saying yes to that should be a no? Where are you letting other people control your schedule of being in charge? And where are you letting anxiety and pressure set deadlines in your business instead of proactively planning and giving yourself the space you need to deliver and also the space to charge for with your fees for an incredible end result.
This is why I want to help you with this. This is what you’ll do in Out Of Overwhelm and you will start seeing the benefits of this intentional planning process I teach as soon as you start because it addresses the root issue. And today I want to give you one tip to solve for the root issue of the overabundance of email.
And we can continue to work together on this if you choose to join the January 2024 round of Out Of Overwhelm, especially if you join early with the bonus that I’m offering where you get that one on one strategy session with me plus all of these other incredible strategies for reducing your emails.
What I want you to focus on this week is reducing your hot potato emailing. Okay, I’m going to tell you what that is. But hot potato emailing is one of those root causes of way too many emails to sort through. So what do I mean by hot potato emailing? It’s the type of email that you send where it’s like you’re tossing it to someone else without really addressing the email, just so you can clear it from your box.
But then here’s the issue, it’s only going to be tossed back to you because other people like to hot potato email, too. So it ends up being this endless back and forth. And it might sound like outsourcing decisions, like what do you think, without offering your suggested course of action in your reply. Or you might be starting a huge back and forth email exchange that really requires dedicated thought and probably needs a phone call.
Hot potato emailing could mean sending a sentence like “we should meet” without a clear result defined for the meeting, or proposing set times to meet or offering your calendar link so that everyone can be prepared and focused. Or it’s clear, simple and easy for someone to just select a time off your calendar and then be done with it instead of all that hot potato back and forth.
Another example could be forwarding on an email to someone without clear direction on what they’re supposed to do, when they’re supposed to do it and by when, which then only leads to more emails to clarify the task and likely a lot of miscommunication and your expectations not being met and then you following up on things that could have been addressed with your initial email, thus creating more emails.
With just these three examples, you can see how the quantity of emails landing in your inbox can snowball very quickly. And instead of feverishly trying to respond to all of them, let’s pause and let’s stop them from coming into your inbox to begin with.
One of the very first things my clients learn is the self-coaching model, which is a cognitive behavioral therapy mindset tool that really helps you become aware of how your thoughts create feelings, your feelings drive your actions and your actions produce your results. And I’m bringing this up now because hot potato emailing starts with your mindset.
Hot potato email habits are a great example of how thoughts like I don’t want to deal with this, or I don’t have time, or I need to be dealing with something else, then go on to create the result of dealing with the email even more, both in quantity and time, and often in touching and reading the email chain multiple times before it’s officially resolved.
The hot potato email habit, that’s your action that you’re taking, starts with all these thoughts like I just don’t want to deal with this, I don’t have time, someone else should take care of this. That’s why I’m always talking about how we have to address the mindset, right? Because the thought process is what’s creating the hot potato email habit. And then it creates more emails, which is exactly what you don’t want.
We need to look at what am I thinking and feeling in order to compose and send very clear, concise emails with all of the information that’s needed, and creating space for actual communication time, instead of trying to do it in this hot potato way. This might mean receiving an email and realizing you need to create time to actually sit with it and deal with it as a task. But I guarantee you, if you don’t hot potato it, it’s going to save you so much time in the long run. And it’s going to drastically reduce the number of emails that you’re getting in the first place, which is going to save you time and a whole lot of mental energy.
Hot Potato email habits are really just habits, and you can definitely change those. And as a reminder when you join the waitlist and apply to Out Of Overwhelm, because this is only available to those of you who are on the waitlist and then go on to join me in Out Of Overwhelm during early enrollment, which is going to start November 7th you will receive my very best strategies for cutting the inbox clutter and reducing the quantity of emails clogging your Inbox by at least 50%.
And not only are you going to get that comprehensive resource for cutting your inbox in half, you will have a private one on one strategy session with me to talk through your biggest email challenge and walk away with a clear solution and next steps. I really want you to stop living in your inbox and start getting more out of your day. And Out Of Overwhelm is where you can do this along with my support.
You’re going to learn the mindset and the strategy for taking control of your business, your profits and your projects. And, of course, that is going to include communication, whether it is email, texting, phone calls, the way that you communicate in writing or your drawings. Communication can be a really powerful tool, or it can get really sloppy in your business and it makes a huge difference.
Let’s just recap what we talked about here today. We don’t want to just get better or more efficient at responding to emails or organizing your inbox. You need to first reduce the overall number of emails you receive. And then we can layer in strategies for streamlining your process. This week in particular you’re going to work on reducing your hot potato email habits because your email overload is really just a symptom that’s showing up from other issues that could easily be solved for.
When you make these simple tweaks around your email habits, including hot potato emailing, you are going to free up hours and hours of time. You’re going to have less time responding, less time organizing, less mental energy. I cannot overemphasize the impact of doing these simple tweaks. And you can use that time to improve your business, work on client projects, billable time and step away from work.
Your days are going to be smoother and more focused because you’re going to have less context switching. I’ve talked about that in past episodes where you’re bopping from one thing to the next. You’re going to have those bigger blocks of time to do creative work or work on your back end or just step away. There’s going to be less communication issues between your team and your contractors and vendors and your clients, because you’re going to learn to communicate effectively.
And then of course, you’re going to have so much mental freedom from not having that inbox hanging over your head. I’d love to hear what the impact is, what you notice when you work on limiting your hot potato email habit. You can always respond to an email that I send or send me a DM on Instagram. I always love to hear from all of you.
Next week I’ll be back with a brand new episode, as always, and it’ll be a good one. And until then, I’m wishing you a beautiful week. I’ll talk to you in the next episode.
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Thanks for joining me for this week’s episode of The Interior Design Business CEO. If you want more tips, tools and strategies visit www.desicreswell.com. And if you’re ready to take what you’ve learned on the podcast to the next level, I would love for you to check out my signature group coaching program, Out of Overwhelm.
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