NIE 2005 Preview

Having It Out With Your Inbox

Peggy Duncan, an author and personal productivity expert, previews her general session at the upcoming NIE2005 Conference in Charleston, S.C.

By Peggy Duncan

 

Every time you look at your inbox, you see unfinished work, demands on your time, missed deadlines and broken promises. E-mail overload is a source of stress, and studies show that in trying to manage it, people are working at least an hour longer on the job or home. E-mail does not have to be a burden.

New messages coming in are not your problem, but rather the mess that’s already there!

Your inbox is for temporary storage of messages. It’s not a to-do list, calendar, database or tickler file. To keep it under control, you must improve your work habits and routines, schedule time to clear it, stop spam cold and really learn how to use the best e-mail software.

“Every time you sit to check e-mail, consider yourself in a meeting with your inbox and don’t adjourn until you’ve done something with each new message.”

You should always be able to see the bottom of your inbox without scrolling. To clear it out and make it easy to maintain, here is what you’ll need to do:

1 Organize everything. If you organize your paper, computer files and inbox, you’ll be able to find everything faster. Group like items by naming folders with broad categories, then breaking them down with subcategories.

2 Stop junk. If you’re receiving jokes, newsletters and any other information you don’t have time for or don’t want, ask people you know personally to stop sending it. For the rest, fight spam through a good Internet service provider that does a great job on the server side, and use good spam-blocking software for your computer.

3 Obtain and use the best software and learn it. Great programs have been developed to perform magic. But most people barely scratch the surface of their capabilities. Dig around, learn everything you can and set up the software to do the work. Use your junk filters, drag and drop, create a database and so much more.

4 Delete brutally. With every message, you should wear out your delete key. If you need help deciding what to keep or trash, ask yourself: (1) When was the last time I referred to this message? If it’s been weeks or months, delete it; (2) Do I need to keep this for legal reasons, or is this information something I value? If not, delete it; (3) Can I get the information somewhere else? If so, delete it; (4) If I delete the message and need it later, can I live with the consequences of having deleted it? If you can, delete it.

5 Do the work if it’s quick. If you can do the work quickly–in, say, 2–5 minutes–go ahead and do it. If it’ll take longer, schedule time on your calendar to do it or note it on your to-do list.

6 Print only if you must. Printing adds to clutter faster than you think. Print e-mails only if you absolutely must, perhaps when you must take the document with you or file it with other project papers.

7 Establish a routine. If you check your messages all day long, consider doing it once or twice a day. Every time you sit to check e-mail, consider yourself in a meeting with your inbox and don’t adjourn until you’ve done something with each new message.

If you keep using your inbox for temporary storage only and do something with every message as you open it, you’ll be able to keep your inbox clear.

Peggy Duncan is a personal productivity expert, author, and trainer. She is author of three books, the latest being Conquer Email Overload with Better Habits, Etiquette, and Outlook Tips and Tricks. For more help, visit her at www.peggyduncan.com or call (770) 907-8868. Better yet, see her speak at NIE2005 May 17-20 in Charleston, where she will conduct a general session.

Published Apr 25, 2005