Hey friends, welcome to the Organize an Efficient Mama podcast.I'm Helena Manu, wife, mom of two, and the founder of HMV Solutions, a virtual assistant company that supports women-owned small businesses with their administrative services.
I love finding new ways to keep life organized, whether that's through digital tools and software systems that just work.Does your to-do list feel never-ending?
Are you constantly juggling work, family, and everything in between, but still feeling like something's always slipping through the cracks?Trust me, I've been there.
It wasn't until I learned how to create effective systems for both my personal life and business that I finally started to feel in control again. That's why I started this podcast.
Every other week, you'll learn practical tips and strategies to help you organize your life, manage your time, and run your business and personal life smoothly.Ready to get started?Let's get into it.
Welcome back to the Organize an Efficient Mama podcast.I'm your host, Halena Manu, and I am so excited to have you here for episode number two.
So in today's episode, we're going to dive into something that can really be a game changer for your productivity.What might that be, you ask?Email templates.
You'd be so surprised at how much time you can actually save once you stop typing out the same email over and over and over again.And instead, you start using some shortcuts that can make your life so much easier.
Mama, you and I both know that from the moment you wake up to the moment you fall asleep, every single second counts.Now, if you're like most busy professionals, you probably find yourself sending the same types of emails pretty frequently.
So whether it's responding to client inquiries, following up on business matters, or even simple scheduling confirmation, the issue is that you're spending way too much time crafting these messages from scratch every single time.
And that, my friends, is where you're losing valuable time that can be put toward another high-priority task.I get it.I've been there.
Before I figured out the magic of templates, I literally used to sit there retyping the same responses over and over.And guess what?It drained so much of my precious time.
But once I realized there was a better way to manage my emails, everything changed. So today, we're going to talk about how you can start being more efficient in sending your emails by using email templates.
If you're ready to take control of your inbox and reclaim hours of your week, then stay with me.Alrighty, so let's get into it.So let's think about it.
How many times have you found yourself rewriting the same email multiple times throughout the week or even on the same day?
You, you know, you sit down, you start typing an email response to a client or to a colleague, you hit send, and then a couple hours later, you find yourself typing out a nearly identical message to someone else.That has got to be frustrating.
This is one of the most common mistakes I see when it comes to not optimizing your email inbox.People are just not using shortcuts. You're retyping the same emails instead of creating a system that allows you to save time and effort.
And look, I totally understand why this happens.When you're juggling work, family, and everything else in between, the last thing you want to think about is creating yet another new system.
It seems easier to just do things the way you've always done them.No need to reinvent the wheel, right?But here's the reality. you're allocating precious time that you could be using for more important tasks.
And by the end of the day, you're just not being as efficient as you could be.
Considering your present lifestyle with working a nine to five, maybe being an entrepreneur, so on and so forth, how much time could you save if you didn't have to type out your standard emails from scratch every single time?
Over the course of a week, that could be hours that you could spend growing your business, focusing on your family, or even just taking a well-deserved break And let's be real, who couldn't use more time in the day?
For me, I saved myself about maybe 45 minutes each week once I started using email templates in my business.I was able to rededicate that time to working on my own business to push my business vision forward.So this is where email templates come in.
They are a simple, effective way to streamline your email inbox workflow. Instead of typing the same thing over and over, you can get pre-written templates at your fingertips ready to go with just a few clicks.
And the best part about it, guys, this strategy is not difficult to set up.The solution to the time draining problem is so simple.Create email templates for those emails you send repeatedly.
I promise you, once you start using templates, you'll wonder why you didn't start sooner. Now, I'm sure you're thinking, Helena, this sounds all well and good, but how do I go about setting these up?
Don't you worry, mama, I'm gonna walk you through a couple options today so you have exactly what you need to take action today.The first way to set up your email template is to add your standard emails to a Google Doc.This method is great.
It allows you to store all your templates in one place where you can easily access them. Anytime you need to send a similar email, you can just copy and paste the text from the Google Doc you created.So basically, you plug and chug where you need to.
This is simple, it's easy, and it works.However, if you're a tad bit more tech savvy and you want to kick it up a notch and really streamline the process, you can create templates directly in your Gmail email account.
So Gmail has a cool built-in feature called Templates. that allows you to save frequently used emails right in your account.
So once you set up a template, all it takes is a few clicks to insert it into your email that you're drafting, saving you so much time.All right, friends, so let's break it down step by step.
First, go into your Gmail settings by clicking on the gear icon in the top right corner.Next, click See All Settings, and from there, go to the Advanced tab.
Scroll down until you see the word templates and then make sure you click the radio button to enable it.
Once you've enabled the feature, go back to your inbox and then the next time you write an email or you want to compose an email that you want to save as a template, you start the draft and then you click on the three dots at the bottom right of the email draft window.
Hover over the word templates and click save draft as template.It's as simple as that. Now, instead of spending five minutes typing out an email you've sent 100 times before, you can just select your template and be done in seconds.
You just need to put in the plug and chug information.So I know that was a lot.So if the thought of setting this up feels overwhelming, don't worry, I'm here to help you.
At HMV Solutions, I help busy professionals and mompreneurs just like you organize their digital lives so that you can be more efficient, less stressed, but most importantly, save your time.
If you'd rather have someone else handle the setup, I'm happy to do that for you.You don't have to do this alone.If you're someone who likes to learn and do things yourself, I got something special for you as well.
So I've created a free resource that walks you through exactly how to set up your own email templates in Gmail, just like I narrated earlier.It's a simple step-by-step mini guide that will get you up and running in no time.
This will be so helpful, especially for you visual learners.As a bonus, I'm gonna include one or two general templates that you can also customize to fit your needs.So this will help you to get started.So in these templates,
actually use in my business so I know that they'll work for you too.So if you head over to my website www.hmvsolutions.com you can check out my shop and go ahead and download the free resource.
Trust me guys once you start using these templates you'll wonder how you ever managed without them.This can help you in both your personal life and your business.So there you have it mama.
Creating email templates is a small but powerful way to take control of your inbox and allow you to reclaim time each week.It's all about working smarter and not harder.
Thank you so much for tuning into this episode of the Organized and Efficient Mama.If you found this episode helpful, be sure to subscribe so you never miss an update and share it with a friend who could use a little help getting organized.
All right, so stay tuned, friends.Next time, we're going to dive into why hiring a well-rounded virtual assistant can help support you in your business.Until then, stay organized, stay balanced, and keep striving for greatness.
All right, talk to you soon.
Hey friends, thanks so much for vibing with me today on the Organize an Efficient Mama podcast.I truly appreciate you taking the time to tune in.Before you go, do me a quick favor.
If you enjoyed this episode, please follow the show and leave a review.
Your feedback helps other busy mamas just like you to find this podcast and learn how to organize their lives, elevate their goals, and balance all the things that they're juggling. That's all I have for you today.
Looking forward to our next conversation.Until then, stay organized, stay balanced, and keep striving for greatness.
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