How to Turn Off New Email Alerts in Outlook so You Can Focus

Did you know that when you are interrupted, it takes an average of 5 minutes to get back to the same level of concentration you had before? The worst culprit for interruptions are email notifications. We recommend that you only check your email three times a day, or only after you have completed a task. In this short video, Nicky explains how you can turn off that distracting email alert in Outlook so you can focus better and be more effective.

Hi, we are Happy

We are leading a movement to create happy, empowered and productive workplaces.

How can we help you and your people to find joy in at least 80% of your work?

Watch the session below

Read the transcripts

Keep informed about happy workplaces

Sign up to Henry's monthly Happy Manifesto newsletter, full of tips and inspiration to help you to create a happy, engaged workplace.

While we all think that we can multi-task, the reality is that we can only focus on one thing at once. One of the biggest interruptions is the ‘new email’ alert in Outlook. But it can take at least five minutes to find your focus again after being interrupted — so if you receive a lot of emails throughout the day, that can have a huge impact on your productivity.

At Happy, we recommend using the 321zero method — checking your email three times a day for 21 minutes at a time, and getting your inbox down to 0 each time. For those of us who have to keep on top of their inbox as part of their job role, we recommend checking and responding to emails once you have completed a task.

In this short video, Nicky explains how you can turn off the email notifications in Outlook so you can focus and be more effective.

Learn the 10 core principles to create a happy and productive workplace in Henry Stewart's book, The Happy Manifesto.

Hi, we are Happy

We help organisations create happy, productive workplaces, where people feel trusted, work to their strengths and are confident with their IT software.

We want everyone to find joy in at least 80% of their work, everyday.

Our workplace solutions include:
– Workplace consultancy
– Leadership and personal development programmes
– Government-funded management apprenticeships
– AI and Excel training

And much more. Get in touch with our friendly team to discuss your current challenge and find out how we can help you.

Claire Lickman

Claire is Head of Marketing at Happy. She has worked at Happy since 2016, and is responsible for Happy’s marketing strategy, website, social media and more. Claire first heard about Happy in 2012 when she attended a mix of IT and personal development courses. These courses were life-changing and she has been a fan of Happy ever since. She has a personal blog at lecari.co.uk.

Next Conference: 2025 Happy Workplaces Conference

Our Happy Workplaces Conference is our biggest event of the year, and we’d love for you to join us on Thursday 12th June!

This year’s event will be held in London, venue TBC. We may also offer a hybrid option for people to join us online simultaneously — do let us know if you are interested in joining online and we can add you to the waiting list.

As always, our next conference will be filled with interaction, discussion and space for reflection.

Book now and get our special half-price Early Bird rate — just use discount code Happy2025.