Our Inboxes handled a lot this year. Fast-paced threads, battles of will over project timelines, “gentle reminders” that were anything but…  

What did 2024 reveal about how we manage our Inboxes? We uncovered some eye-opening trends about how we take control of our emails and get things done.  

Coming Soon: Your Personal Year in Review

In the coming days, we’ll be rolling out Unwrap Your Inbox — your personalized snapshot of email milestones for 2024. Stay tuned for your unique highlight reel, where you’ll discover your email patterns, productivity wins, and how much time you saved in 2024. Check it out now.

How SaneBox members saved time in 2024

Every Sanebox member is different, but our data shows clear email trends in 2024. To put it simply: Inbox overwhelm is out, and email strategy is in. 

Whether it’s consciously or subconsciously, email power users have a common playbook to strategically defer, organize, and action their emails. Here’s what the data showed for 2024.  

Trend #1: BlackHole Mondays

In 2024, the start of the week wasn’t about picking up last week’s threads — it was about clearing clutter and deferring non-urgent emails. 

SaneBox members kickstart the week tactically by sending unwanted email senders to the SaneBlackHole, training our AI to ensure they never hear from that sender again. 

Trend #2: Using Reminders to GTD

Once their slate is clean, SaneBox members get organized for the week. 

More than half (54%) of all reminders are set on Mondays and Tuesdays, dropping off sharply toward the end of the work week. Simply put, the start of the week is all about the Four D’s — with an emphasis on “delete” and “defer.”                            

Trend #3: The Tuesday Effect

If Tuesday’s typically the day when you have the most balls in the air, you’re in good company. It’s the biggest day for blasting through emails, when SaneBox members process 16.5% of the week’s messages. This tracks with what we already know: studies consistently show that people consistently hit peak productivity on Mondays and Tuesdays.  

Trend #4: The Twin Peaks of Focus Time

Our data shows two peaks when SaneBox members are dragging distracting emails into SaneSnooze: 

Together, Mondays and Thursdays make up 42% of all snoozed emails for the week. The start of the week has the biggest number of distractions (25.7% of emails snoozed) but there’s also a smaller spike on Thursdays (16.3%), as users safeguard their focus time in the end-of-week rush. 

This goes against the grain in a climate where the typical worker answers emails within two hours, even though email reactivity is bad for your health. Meanwhile SaneBox users are less reactive, more intentional, and regaining focus time.     

Trend #5: The Black Friday Email Battle is Escalating 

No surprise here: November 25, the Monday before the US Thanksgiving holiday, was the biggest day for receiving emails in 2024. The peak day for processing emails came on Black Friday, the year’s biggest shopping day. 

The email tsunami that comes with Cyber Week keeps growing bigger. Black Friday emails rose by 20% compared to last year, so we can expect an even greater deluge in 2025. 

But big email days can’t derail a well-managed Inbox. With email volume set to rise, productivity in 2025 will be about ensuring you have a toolkit fit for the job — so you can save time and focus for what’s most important to you.

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Want to see how you compare? 

Your personal Unwrap Your Inbox report will be available soon! You’ll be able to see how your email habits stack up against these trends and discover your own productivity patterns from 2024. Keep an eye on your SaneBox dashboard — we’ll notify you when your personalized report is ready.

Not on SaneBox yet? We can sweeten the deal… See what you can learn about building better email habits with a free SaneBox trial!

Note: Your data privacy matters. All metrics shown use aggregated anonymous data.