I see few people that allow themselves the time to get clean and current with their e-mail inbox. If you think back, when was the last time you actually left work feeling that you had accomplished everything? Tied up all the knots! Paid all the Bills! And organized your desk! If you say always, then well done – you are working productively and you can skip this. If you say no or never, then perhaps its time consider the following.
You will have achieved a clean desk before, but usually the week before your annual vacation or other scheduled time off. (I know because I just took a week off and found myself in the same situation). Why not run your desk like this all the time, walking away at the end if the day knowing that your work is organised. Having given myself some organisational insight during my time off I thought I would share it here.
Lets Start with E-mail
E-mail has evolved to a crucial work tool over our work life; we were never taught to use it properly and have a tendency to use our inbox not as a reminder contact system, but a catch-all for information that needs to be processed. Hauling that inbox of hundreds or e-mails around with us, re-reading and looking at emails over and over again is unproductive and at times soul destroying.
Getting Things Done (GTD) is the most productive system I have found. To use this system:
Create three new e-mail folders:
- @ Action (using the @ symbol will move the folders to the top of the list)
- @ Waiting for
- @ Someday / Maybe
Start off by purging your inbox, ask yourself, “What am I going to do about this email?” (arrange them by date; it’s easiest to start with the old ones first)
- If you can deal with the e-mail in less that 2 minutes do it now.
- Delete it if its no longer valuable to you
- If it’s Action and takes longer that 2 minutes – file it in Action folder
- If you are waiting for information / response back - file it in Waiting for folder
- If it’s a joke, reference material or a project that is part of a dream list – file it Someday maybe folder
Once you have nothing in your inbox. You are ready to begin.
Now you can open your ‘Action’ folder and work the items that actually need your time.
Remember, before you leave the office for the day the emails ‘Action’ folder must be reviewed each email individually must be set a timeline on your calendar – don’t tell yourself that out of sight is out of mind! Your mind does not work like that.
Review your ‘Waiting For’ daily or weekly or as required – maybe you have to chase them up again or you have finished that project and those emails need deleted.
Have some downtime? – have a look through your ‘Someday Maybe’ folder.
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