--- title: "Daily Buzz: Spend Less Time on Email" id: "45375" type: "post" slug: "daily-buzz-spend-less-time-on-email" published_at: "2019-01-23T22:33:45+00:00" modified_at: "2026-11-09T15:57:52+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2019/01/23/daily-buzz-spend-less-time-on-email/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2019/01/23/daily-buzz-spend-less-time-on-email.md" excerpt: "Responding to emails can take up an unnecessary part of the workday. Change your email habits to save time and be more productive. Also: The American Physical Therapy Association breaks ground on new headquarters." taxonomy_category: - "Learning" taxonomy_post_tag: - "API Management" - "AssociationsNow" - "Business" - "productivity" - "time saving" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Employee (Non-Manager)" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Daily Buzz: Spend Less Time on Email Type, send, repeat: The average professional spends about [28 percent of their workday (opens in a new tab)](https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/high-tech/our-insights/the-social-economy) on email. For American workers, that number equates to about 2.6 hours and 120 messages received per day, [says Matt Plummer in a post on Harvard Business Review (opens in a new tab)](https://hbr.org/2019/01/how-to-spend-way-less-time-on-email-every-day) . To spend your time working toward your goals rather than email, Plummer recommends adopting these habits: **Stop over-checking your email.** ”On average, professionals [check their email 15 times per day (opens in a new tab)](https://www.forbes.com/sites/annabelacton/2017/07/13/innovators-challenge-how-to-stop-wasting-time-on-emails/#9a894c597886) , or every 37 minutes,” Plummer says. “Do most people expect a response within that time frame? No. In fact, only [11 percent of customers/clients and 8 percent of coworkers expect a response in less than an hour (opens in a new tab)](https://www.toistersolutions.com/blog/2018/4/15/how-fast-should-a-business-respond-to-an-email) .” To save time, he recommends setting aside five to eight minutes every hour to check your inbox. **Cut down on folders.** Folders can keep your inbox more organized, but they can slow you down when you’re looking for specific communications. “Search is one fix. Another is email/to-do list integrations,” Plummer says. “Taken together, these methods can save users 14 minutes per day.” **Clear out your inbox.** ”When we check a crowded inbox, we end up re-reading emails over and over again. We can’t help it; if they’re there, we read them,” he says. Plummer recommends deleting or archiving emails as soon as you’ve read them. “However, a read email that needs a later response is no longer an email requiring reading; it is a task requiring action. It should be treated as such and moved out of the inbox and onto a to-do list.” **Get rid of irrelevant emails.** Don’t waste your time on emails that don’t pertain to you. “To break the habit of processing irrelevant emails individually, use a three-part approach: automated filtering for newsletters you actually use, unsubscribing from those you don’t, and blocking spam and other emails that keep coming after you’ve tried to unsubscribe.” ### A New Beginning for APTA > APTA Breaks Ground on New Headquarters: APTA Centennial Center [https://t.co/epkDlY2UYz (opens in a new tab)](https://t.co/epkDlY2UYz) > [pic.twitter.com/RuLZS3f4DV (opens in a new tab)](https://t.co/RuLZS3f4DV) > > — American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) (@APTAtweets) [January 23, 2019 (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/APTAtweets/status/1088052083398508546?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) **New year, new headquarters:** Yesterday the American Physical Therapy Association broke ground on its new headquarters, APTA Centennial Center, in Alexandria, Virgina, which will open in January 2021 for the association’s 100th anniversary. The building was designed with health and wellness in mind, keeping APTA’s mission close at hand. The center will be LEED Silver certified and receive FitWel’s highest certification. “Our new headquarters will serve as a continual reminder of APTA’s dedication to health, wellness, and rehabilitation, community-building and collaboration, and social and environmental responsibility,” APTA President Sharon Dunn [stated in a press release (opens in a new tab)](http://www.apta.org/PTinMotion/News/2019/1/22/APTANewHQ/) . “It will be a place where staff, members, and visitors can feel empowered to work toward shared goals in a setting that exemplifies our shared values.” ### Other Links of Note **Stressed?** Nonprofit thought leader Beth Kanter suggests focusing on [these seven strategies (opens in a new tab)](http://www.bethkanter.org/resilience-2019/) to avoid burnout and practice self-care. **Limiting your goals** [can limit your organization’s progress (opens in a new tab)](https://www.nonprofitmarketingguide.com/blog/2019/01/22/must-limit-goals-strategies-successful-maybe-not/) , from *Nonprofit Marketing Guide*. **Putting more value** on your volunteer program creates more opportunities for people to contribute, [says Jeffrey Cufaude from Idea Architects (opens in a new tab)](http://www.ideaarchitects.org/2019/01/thinking-differently-about-volunteering.html) . (master1305/iStock/Getty Images Plus) [Jeff Hsin](https://associationsnow.com/author/jeff-hsin/) [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/jeff-hsin/) Tags: [#API Management](https://associationsnow.com/tag/api-management/) [#Business](https://associationsnow.com/tag/business/) [#productivity](https://associationsnow.com/tag/productivity/) [#time saving](https://associationsnow.com/tag/time-saving/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [VideoAmerican College of Emergency Physicians: ACEP Geriatric Emergency Department Accreditation ProgramSeptember 24, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/24/american-college-of-emergency-physicians-acep-geriatric-emergency-department-accreditation-program/) - [PodcastAssociations NOW Presents Practical AI-How Associations Are Putting It To WorkJanuary 29, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/01/29/associations-now-presents-practical-ai-how-associations-are-putting-it-to-work/) - [PodcastWhy Associations Must Rethink Learning and Community TogetherMarch 26, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/03/26/why-associations-must-rethink-learning-and-community-together/) - [TemplateMembers onlyMember Onboarding ToolkitNovember 5, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/11/05/member-onboarding-toolkit/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2019%2F01%2F23%2Fdaily-buzz-spend-less-time-on-email%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !