When I need to send an email while in the middle of “deep work,” I often get pulled into my inbox and distracted by unread messages.

For years, a solution escaped me. I’d find myself working on something important, go to send an email, and the next minute find myself perusing the school newsletter.

To avoid this, I’ve started a simple habit:

I always exit my email client with the “Drafts” tab open.

This way, the next time I go to send an email, I only see my drafts and am not sidetracked by unread emails.

Let me know if this works for you.